August 24, 2016
Funeral for Stanley Don Martin
Funeral for Stanley Don Martin
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be
pleasing in Your sight O Lord, our rock and our redeemer!! AMEN!!
Let us pray! Heavenly
Redeemer, today we gather knowing that the veil of death has been drawn, and
that as we mourn Stan’s passing the truth is we still have a connection with
him. For the connection is through You
and Your offer of grace in Holy Baptism to Stan and to each of us. May we be comforted today through the Gospel
of Your Son, Jesus Christ that draws us to You.
For the salve of the Gospel is the most powerful medicine not only of
the body but especially of and for the soul.
Enable us to receive this medicine to comfort and keep us and help us to
remain connected through Your Son Jesus Christ Who gave Himself so Stan would
have eternal life and come home to be with You in Your Kingdom. Enable us to connect these dots and be
empowered to believe in the offer of grace offered for all of mankind, but
especially each of us gathered here with Stan’s family to say goodbye. AMEN.
It is claimed that we are connected to anyone in the world through
six degrees of separation. In essence we
are only six steps away from any other person via our connection with the
people we know. With the invention and
widespread use of Facebook, though some do not use it or even like their
pictures shared, the number of steps is cut nearly in half to about 3 or 3 and
a half. What is interesting is that this
connectedness with electronics and friends of friends has become mainstream, or
everybody does it today.
Well this morning I’m here to tell you, Stan Martin here in
Goodland didn’t invent the internet, and didn’t have a Facebook account but
Stan was one of the most connected people I have met here in Goodland. When I would go and visit Stan in both his
home and lately in Good Samaritan, he and I would start sometimes talk about
his Air Force days, but most of our talking would be about people and Stan not
only could tell you who they were, who their parents and grandparents were, where
they farmed, because you know he loved to farm.
But Stan even knew who their implement dealer was, but truth be told if
it wasn’t Massey Ferguson, well, that’s another story.
This connectedness that Stan had was uncanny. On Sunday when I was in Hays, I observed that
Stan’s own son, Monte follows in his Dad’s footsteps, because he is connected
and knows everybody as well. Yet, we who
gather here today are connected as well, not only with Marilyn, Cindy, Monte,
Sharon and Marla, but we are connected with Stan to someone even more
important. We are connected through
Water and Word to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Through our baptism with Water intimately connected with the Word
of God, we are connected to Jesus Christ.
For Jesus Christ when John the Baptist poured the Water over His Holy
Head fulfilled God’s plan of our connection to Him and our being intimately
connected to not only Jesus Christ, but also the promise of eternal life and
salvation. When Jesus hung on the Cross
and died, He completed the circle of our being connected and with our individual
baptism into Jesus Christ, we are connected with Stan to Jesus life, His death,
but especially His resurrection.
When we believe this free offer of grace for all of mankind,
whether democrat or republican, atheist or agnostic, we then are enabled to as
our Gospel this morning states, “Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe
in God, believe also in Me.” The
Me is specifically God’s Son Jesus Christ, because the connection made with
Stan’s baptism is an intimate connection with His Lord and Savior. So clear is the connection is why Stan
recently had one intent. He wanted to
come to worship here at Emmanuel.
Because Stan knew the importance of his own connection with His Lord and
Savior and he would move heaven and earth both for his kids, but also to get
back here and worship the same Lord Who died in order that Stan and all of us
might have eternal life.
I can see in my own minds eye, Stan and Marilyn sitting in the
back pew as good Lutherans, hearing the Word of God and bringing them communion
as a couple as husband and wife. So
clear is this image because Jesus Christ offer of eternal life fulfilled Sunday
for Stan was what enabled Stan and Marilyn to love one another and their entire
family for all of these years.
But what is most poignant is that this love they shared from their
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was never extinguished. Blown by the wind both of Texas that brought
them together, but also the never ending wind like Monday of Western Kansas, the
love they had was protected, nurtured and endured triumph and even tragedy even
to the very end by Jesus Christ. I say
that, because of a simple yet very poignant picture snapped on Saturday.
In complete tenderness, Stan and Marilyn’s compassion,
togetherness and especially their love modelled by their Savior, Jesus Christ
was captured when they were caught with their hands clasped while in Hays. This same picture is on the televisions in
the West Narthex and the East Sun Deck.
It simply captures clearly how God’s love for them that they have shared
for 63 years was manifest in Christ binding them together as husband and wife and
keeping them connected to each other, but especially their Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. This one picture perfectly
encapsulates their love that they had modelled for them by their Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ and will connect them across time, space and into
eternity. For this is the belief in
Jesus Christ they shared and how Jesus own words, “No Man cometh unto the Father,
but by me” were fulfilled Sunday with Stan’s entrance into the eternal
physical connection with Jesus Christ.
May we not only celebrate Stan and Marilyn’s connection to one
another, the creation of their family unit that did everything together, the
many grands, great grands and extended family that always could count on them
to be there for any celebration. But may
we especially remember our connection through the offer of grace God offers
each and every one of us today. For the
Gospel Stan wanted to come and hear right here at Emmanuel is the same offer of
grace and connection with Jesus Christ that Stan has so intimately today as he
rests in His Lord and Saviors arms.
AMEN.
Now may the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding
comfort us today as we celebrate our connection with Stan, but especially Jesus
offer of connection with each and every one of us. AMEN.
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