Funeral Sermon for Emily Manning - April 23, 2010

The Church Season of Easter
Easter 3
Funeral Service for Emily Schmidt Manning
Zion Lutheran Church, Bay City, MI
April 23, 2010

Readings:
Psalm 100
Rev. 3:10

“Patient Endurance”

Psalm 100 (ESV)

1 A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Revelation 3:10 (ESV)

10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

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Friends and family of Emily, Pete and Peggy, Nancy and Jim, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren. Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Emily Manning was born in Bay City on June 1, 1913.  She was baptized on July 6, 1913 and confirmed in 1928 here at Zion Lutheran Church.  Emily Schmidt was married to her beloved husband Gilbert Manning on June 1, 1940 and they were married for over 63 years.  Emily and Gilbert were blessed with two children, Peggy who married Pete, and Nancy who married Jim.  Emily had two brothers who preceded her in death, and Emily was blessed to have five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.  On April 20th, God blessed Emily with a holy death and took her home to rest in the arms of Jesus to await the resurrection of the Lord. Blessed are they who die in the Lord, from this time forth and evermore.

The text for today’s message is from Revelation the 3rd chapter

Emily was born in Bay City the daughter of Fred and Elizabeth Schmidt. But, to be fair, Emily’s story does not begin here, because Emily was conceived in Grimm, Russia in the area of the Volga River.  That little town of Grimm, was founded in 1767, and one of the founding families was Emily’s ancestors in the Schmidt family.  But as time passed and the century turned toward the 1900’s there was political unrest, the Bolshevik revolution was imminent and so families began to leave their homes.  So with patient endurance, the Schmidt’s became one of those Volga German-Lutheran families who left Russia with what they could take in their hands and on their backs and they came to America.

And so Emily was born here in America, baptized here at Zion, confirmed here at Zion, she married her beloved husband Gilbert here at Zion, they lived and worshipped together here at Zion literally their entire lives. About 6 ½ years ago, Emily’s husband Gilbert was laid to rest here in the knowledge of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And now upon a lifetime of patient endurance, Emily joins her beloved husband in the loving arms of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

The New Testament reading today from Revelation was Emily’s confirmation verse, “10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.”(Rev. 3:10)  We are sometimes amazed at how appropriate confirmation verses are for God’s people, but in reality we should not be surprised.  For God knows us before we even begin our life’s journey, for He has told us, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”(Jer. 1:5)  So God is the one who gives us the patience, to endure the trials and travails of this world.

Certainly Emily was set apart by God to be His child.  For God guided Emily on a journey from the far away land of Russia to be born a citizen of America.  God guided Emily on her journey to meet her beloved husband Gilbert, who also journeyed here to Bay City from Tennessee.  Quite a journey for both Emily and Gilbert, born many miles apart, yet brought together by God, who loved them both.  And from God’s love for Emily and Gilbert, and from their love of each other, came two daughters Peggy and Nancy. 

And though I only knew Emily for these last few years I am told that Emily was a very quiet person, very proper, she loved reading, and she loved her Lord.  Emily valued her time at home, she valued her family, her husband, her children, her grandchildren and even her great-grandchildren.  Emily’s family was very important to her, it brought warmth to her heart and a smile to her face.  And though Emily would just as soon prefer to stay at home, in their later years Emily and Gilbert traveled a bit.  They traveled to see the sites and sounds of this country, but they also traveled to see their growing family.  A lifetime of journeys, a lifetime of patient endurance.   It is certainly amazing to think of the changes that occurred during her lifetime.  Changes which included the Bolshevik revolution to the great depression, from two world wars to the emergence of computers and electronic gadgetry beyond the imagination of Emily in her simple childhood surroundings.  Emily’s life certainly was a grand journey.

But as much patient endurance Emily had for nearly 97 years, there is a greater journey than all those years combined for which Emily is now eternally thankful.  And that journey, which many of you here today made also is a journey guided and directed by God Himself.  For God guided and directed Emily from the guiles of sin into which she was born to an everlasting freedom and promise of eternal life.  For Emily and we too are born sinful into a sinful world separated by an infinite distance from God, yet God in His infinite love brought Emily to the waters of her baptism, and that made her infinitely close to Himself.  In fact, it was nearly 97 years ago that Emily was united with Christ here in this church.  And there is still here a font which stands as a reminder of that journey.  A journey of a patient and enduring God, who in the water combined with God’s Word kept Emily from any lasting hour trial and gave her the blessed assurance of everlasting life.

And that assurance of everlasting life was given to Emily by Jesus Christ Himself.  For it was Jesus Christ who came into this world, who became incarnate, and who patiently endured all that we endure in our lives.  It was Jesus Christ who taught the way of salvation, it was Jesus Christ who said, “I am the way the truth and the life.”(Jn 14:6)  And that way of Jesus Christ included that He must patiently endure trials, trials  before corrupt judges and false witnesses, He stood reviled by men, beaten and stricken down by the actions of zealous people, He was nailed to a cross, and there Jesus patiently endured nail pierced hands and feet, and the insults of thieves about Him and the wicked crowds below Him.  And Jesus patiently endured all this just for Emily, and Jesus endured all this for you too.  For without Jesus’ patient endurance, we would be lost to sin, sin which we commit by the things we’ve done, sins by the things we’ve left undone.   Jesus Christ died and on the third day rose again enduring not only the cross, but death itself so that all who would believe in Him may have eternal life.

Emily’s confirmation verse is, “10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.“(Rev. 3:10)  God in Christ Jesus kept His promise for Emily and Emily knew she would live in that promise.  And, quite frankly, Emily knew that she would die in that promise too. 

Emily was blessed to have a wonderful family.  She was blessed to have a wonderful husband and church here at Zion.  Emily was blessed by her children and their spouses whom she loved very much.  Emily was blessed by her grandchildren and great-grandchild who brought immense joy to her life.  God indeed blessed Emily beyond imagination, and kept His Word about patient endurance.  For by God’s Word, the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, God has patiently cared for Emily, and still cares for her even now in His loving arms.  For God has a blessed eternal, everlasting, and patiently enduring love for His child Emily who no longer dwells on the earth, but rather Emily now dwells with Her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen.

Blessed are they who die in the Lord Jesus Christ
from this time forth and forevermore. Amen.

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