Yes and No

Let's gather lots of memories together which various folks have shared with me about Jeanette, and put them on a balance scale, marked Yes on one side, and No on the other.

On the Yes-side, let's start out with Jeanette's gift of persistence.

--Living in such a determined and lively way to the age of 103!

--Every Sunday at worship in Messiah Church and regularly sharing in the sacrament there.

Persistence, and trust in God for the gift of the Lord Jesus “for you.”

And God gave her the gift of conversation.

One of the ways to describe the Holy Trinity is as the conversation between the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit.

So we can then say that conversation that expresses love and care for one another is modeled on the very nature of God...and thus a wonderful thing indeed.

Folks have told me how much Jeanette enjoyed conversation with folks in nursing homes and residences.

That nearly every day she would walk up the hill from her apartment to check on folks at the Williamsport Home, even to age 100.

That she would tackle whatever task needed to be done at church that was asked of her.

Persistence, care, and consistency.

Folks have used descriptive terms such as “admired her very much, as an example of Christ at work”

and “a joy to be around.”

That is what the Gospel can stir up in a person, deep and expansive joy.

Persistence, care, consistency, and joy.

And all those things carried over from her life in the church to other venues as well.

Schools, clubs, organizations, businesses, and her family all benefited from her gifts and participation.

Persistence, trust in God, diligence, consistency, joy, and expansive interest.

Those are words to summarize on the Yes side of the scale so far.

And then on the No side there is the power of death.

Which side is heavier?

Does death get the last word here?

There are still more things to put on the scale.

Each time we gather for worship, we remember the greatest Yes of all, God's gift in the Lord Jesus,

Rather than giving up on us when we make a mess of things as we have ever since the days of Adam and Eve, Jesus comes among us to show us a different way.

He is God's Yes that is given in spite of the No of our sin.

God knows that we have all sorts of questions such as, How can I be sure that this is intended for me, and not just for disciples long ago?

That is why we hold Holy Baptism so dear.

On the day of her Baptism, Jeanette received God's unconditional Yes, a Yes that is good forever.

That Yes is reiterated in our Second Lesson today, where Paul says If God is for us, who can be against us? [Romans 8:31]

If God says Yes to us, to Jeanette, who is there that can say No?

Satan tries, but in the end will fail.

Paul concludes: There is nothing in all creation that will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:39]

That is a powerful Yes!

It has been God's intention all along.

The prophet Micah rails against the ways in which the people of Israel have messed up God's good things and tells them that much will be destroyed because of their wilfulness.

But he also says that the mountain of the Lord's house will become the center of the creation and all the peoples will come, gathering close.

Another Yes, despite the No that we feebly put forward with our bad behavior.

Zechariah sings to the infant John the baptizer:

You will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us. [Luke 1:76-80]

John, you have things to do that will announce God's Yes!, giving light in dark places.

We don't know when Jesus was born.

Some have speculated that it was in the springtime, when shepherds would be out watching for new lambs at night, but a long time ago, the church decided to celebrate Christ's birth in late December, at the winter solstice when the world is at its darkest trying to put forth its loudest No,

God sends the light of the world, his own Son, Jesus as his Yes.

“Yes, I'm here; Yes, I care; Yes, I intend to make something wonderful of Jeanette and all of you.”

The hymn that Jeanette chose for us to use next expresses the yes and no of which we have been speaking.

It is an important and serious hymn.

In it, Satan the accuser keeps on saying No vs. God's Yes, even though the hymn doesn't use those two words.

On earth Satan has no equal, Luther says, but he goes on to proclaim that we have a champion who will be victorious, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Oh, it is a sad day when a person like Jeanette is taken from us;

but it is also a day on which we join Luther in singing that Jesus finally wins.

So on the Yes-side of the scale we have

--the anticipation of the prophets

--Paul's confident announcement

--God's promise in Jesus,

as the foundation,

to which is added:

Luther's confident song,

Jeanette's persistence, trust in God, joy, consistency, and expansive interest.

And on the No side is death.

Which side wins?

Thanks be to God,...we know the answer, and the answer is Yes. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.