Memorial Service for David Manilla

Call to Worship: Matthew 11:28-30

Invocation

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, John 11:17-27

Meditation

Reflections: Dr. Chris Manilla

Benediction

We gather today for two purposes.  One is to glorify God, as He is the author of life.  The other is to celebrate the life of David Manilla.

On behalf of the Central Schwenkfelder Church, deepest sympathy is extended to David’s family: Faith, Alexandria and Victoria; Chris and Lori, Gabriella and Anthony. And David’s longtime fiance Barbara Fletcher and daughter Carla and Jaxxson, who affectionately called him Gampy David.

This morning, we turn to the Scriptures to shed light on our situation. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 states,

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-- A time to give birth, and a time to die… .”

This passage might give us the impression that death is something natural, just because it is expected.  After all, the Scripture attributes a time for everything under heaven. 

There is a certain inevitability associated with death.  But it is never to be thought of natural in the purest sense. 

Death entered our world for a reason.  That reason is due to the presence of sin.   Romans 5:12 states,

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned… .” 

As a result of the Fall and our disobedience to God, humankind suffered the sentence of death.  All people die because all sin. We are told in Hebrews 9:27 that

“...it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment… .”

Every human being has an appointment to appear before the sovereign God of the universe and give an account for his/her life. 

But as frightening as this situation may sound, it was for this reason that Jesus Christ came to this earth as God incarnate so many years ago.  Christ died and rose again to abolish death for those who trust in Him.  Note Christ’s words in John 11:25,

“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.”  

The believer possesses the sweet knowledge and anticipation of life after death, because Jesus arose from the dead.  The Christian lives in this world knowing that his real home is not of this world.  Rather God has prepared a place for him. 

So how can we access this gift of life after death?  It is not through being a good person or adhering to a moral code.  Rather, it is through the gifts of repentance and faith.  Jesus preached at the outset of His ministry throughout the villages of Galilee:

“The time is fulfilled; the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe in the gospel.”

Repentance is a change of heart and mind.  It means we go from your way of living to God’s way of living.  It is implied in the act of confession, when a person comes before the Lord and seeks His forgiveness for the offensive things he has done.

And there’s faith.  Faith is not just believing that there is a God.  Most people believe that there is a God.  Faith, rather, is embracing God and following Him.  Jesus said:

“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny Himself; take up His cross and follow Me.” 

Death is a transition from one state of life to another.  The apostle Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 5:1:

“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 

And, that when we are “…absent from the body, we are …at home with the Lord.” 

This is good news for the Christian, especially when he finds himself in a world where there is so much death. 

So there is urgency for all to repent of their sins and place their trust in Jesus Christ, in order to possess heaven as their home.

We are also here to reflect upon the life of David Manilla.

You could describe David as a happy, friendly and comfortable personality. If you liked you, he teased you. It was easy for him to engage people. David never knew a stranger.

His hobbies included fishing and hunting. David had all kinds of taxidermy from grizzly bear to moose to fox to deer. David enjoyed being outside. He would have thrived being a farmer. He was a great gardener.

While serving as pastor at Central Schwenkfelder, I witnessed David giving us dozens of eggs over the years, as well as organic turkeys and lots of vegetables. He made his own sausage. He was thirty years ahead of his time.

It was because of his neighborly actions that I was blessed with a friendship with David. We visited frequently and he loved to attend our thrift sales and the Country Fair that was put on by the church.

We would have tea in his kitchen and he would always have something sweet for me- usually fruit. I would tell him not to bother, but that did not seem to make any difference. He would say: “It’s how I was raised.”

David knew how to enjoy life and followed his dreams. After college at Ursinus, he journeyed out to California and pursued bodybuilding for a time. Then entered law school at Villanova and graduated.

David was a lifelong learner. There was no such thing as a stupid question. He was always learning and growing; curious.

David became a successful lawyer. He knew how to handle people and got them to trust him. David fought for fairness.

His speciality was DUI cases. He would go out of his way for his clients. He was thorough. He carved himself a niche in the field of defense attorney legal practice. He served in Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, Lancaster and Berks Counties.

He was a member of the National College of DUI Defense and was Pennsylvania’s delegate for a time.

On one occasion, he assisted one of our sextons who made a poor decision one night and got behind the wheel. Billy did not have any money to pay for David’s services, so an arrangement was made to work on the property part time to pay off the bill. Billy was not the only person David did this for. On another occasion, a mason was needing representation, so to pay back his bill, the man built David a pizza oven in the backyard.

All of this reflected David’s compassionate side. He wanted to give people a second chance.

As a son, David was loving to his mother Vivian. He took great care of her. They were inseparable. David told me that his mother took a trip to Florida and stayed for a time. Upon her return and hearing her express what fun she had, he then purchased a home for her to vacation there whenever she wanted.

David enjoyed travelling with his mother or Barbara to places like Hawaii, Alaska, British Columbia, San Francisco. He would sometimes take 5-6 trips per year.

Every New Year’s Eve, he would call his mother and wish her a happy new year. They thought alike. They would frequently talk real estate.

As a brother, David was marvelous. David was only 12 when the family lost Mr. Manilla. He became the protector of the family.

David visited Faith and her family in Connecticut. If he liked you, you were the butt of his jokes. For instance, he had a large cookie placed in a pizza box that was decorated with the words: “Go home, Honor.” He would call you all kinds of nicknames.

David was generous. It would not be strange for him to take the entire family out to dinner. Family was important to him. His relationships are what kept him going. Carla said: “He was my person.”

David loved horses and he and Barbara would often ride together. On one snowy evening, they rode the horses down to Peter Wentz farmstead and rode, until someone pulled into the parking lot and then they made haste to leave.

The past year and a half was challenging. David was highly dependent on his loved ones for help. He bounced back many times, even after one doctor doubted that he would make it through the night. He lived many more months.

David was always battling his weakened heart and wounded legs. He wanted to be here. He loved you and he loved life.

My last face to face conversation with him was after I had been hospitalized with cellulitis in one of my legs. I visited him in the rehab and we had laughs and smiles. When it came time to leave, I read some Scripture and prayed for him. And then, David said: “Can I pray for you?” I was pleasantly surprised and he gave the sweetest prayer. I will always remember that moment.

He would like to be remembered as a happy person and a loving son and brother.

As you say goodbye to him today, may the Lord grant your His grace to trust Him for comfort and strength. Amen.