Let us pray! Heavenly
Father as we gather here to celebrate the life of our sister in Christ
Irene. May our hearts be enabled to hear
clearly Your Word spoken to our hearts and comfort us as we mourn. Though the veil of death separates us today
from Irene, we are sure of the certain promise You made to us in our baptism
that in being baptized into Your death we are certainly raised with You in Your
resurrection. Comfort us with this
thought and let the salve of Your Gospel message surround us so we may hear
clearly the Gospel message You proclaimed to Irene on the day of her baptism
and which You proclaim here today in truth, purity and peace to Your saints,
especially the saints of her family all of us gathered here at Emmanuel. AMEN.
Growing up in rural Southside Virginia we had one claim
to fame for our small town. It was a
festival known as Dixie Days. This was
an annual festival where crafts, food and fellowship were enjoyed. One of the highlights of Dixie Days was an afternoon
exhibition of Square Dancing put on right in front of the motel where the
Dixieland Band played. As you well know Irene
and Maurice were constant partners in square dancing and though I may not have
seen them personally dance, I know when they heard “Face your neighbor, balance and swing” they were off to the races
and would leave me in the dust with my two left feet.
This morning we come to bid the long-time dance partner
of Maurice good bye. As constant
companion on this earthly pilgrimage during all the dances, Irene embodied what
partnership truly meant. Constantly by
her husband’s side, whether as dance partner, cheerleader for the baseball
teams of both husband and sons or card partner playing the Pecks on Friday
night, Irene’s dedication to family and church was clear to everyone. One of my first experiences with Maurice and
Irene was a trip to McDonalds and encountering them as was ritual for coffee or
a hamburger and being greeted by their friendly faces.
King Solomon, wise ruler and author of Ecclesiastes said
it well, “1To every thing there is
a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”. Just as in square
dancing the caller tells what movements are coming, we have a great promise and
purpose from our Lord Jesus Christ of the path we are to take in our
lives. The path that God called Irene to
not only included daily partner to Maurice, and never ending supporter of Jerry
and Ron and their children, but was especially for Irene as a child of God
embraced and redeemed by the blood of the lamb in her baptism into Jesus
Christ, life, death and resurrection which forgave her sin and imparted eternal
life.
Just as the Psalmist David wrote in the
23rd Psalm, Irene never was in want, because God provided, husband,
sons and family that danced with her on her journey of life as accountant at
the Co-Op or for Hastings or as clerk at JCPenny. As Irene journeyed through life, sometimes
tinkling the ivories of piano or organ, God “lead her in the paths of
righteousness” and “beside the still waters”. God brought her husband home safe from Europe
and from his daily work at the post office.
Yet, for Irene because of God’s continued presence and promise of
husband and family she “feared no evil” because of God’s
promise made to her in her baptism with Water and Word that “Thou
O Lord art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comforted” Irene and us
today.
Thus with Paul the prolific writer,
Irene has “fought the good fight…finished the course…and kept the faith”. And now as she rests in her loving Savior’s
arms, Irene wears the “crown of righteousness, which the Lord…has
given to her”. For this crown was
given to Irene through the promise offered to her and to us by our Lord Jesus
Christ in our baptism into His life, death and resurrection. For Jesus as quoted by John said to Irene and
to us today, “ye believe in God, believe also in me”. “Jesus saith unto us, I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
This morning we can be assured that God
has fulfilled His promise for Irene. As
we celebrate the life of Irene God fulfills the final promise we find in
David’s Psalm which says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” In God’s house we will find Irene because of
what Jesus Christ has done for her and us in and through our baptism into His
life, death and resurrection for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this
morning to say goodbye. AMEN.
Now may the peace of God which surpasses all human
understanding guard our hearts and minds and comfort us today, because of what
Jesus Christ did in Irene’s life and ours!
AMEN!
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