Sermon Tone Analysis

We are gathered here today…

As we are gathered to both remember and celebrate the life of Laura Mae Kreider, in many ways we are also here to honor the ways in which we saw God work in and through the life of Laura.

Thank you both friends and family for gathering together as we remember Laura , not forgetting Lester, and for supporting the Kreider family.

We’re also here to honor the ways in which we saw God work in and through the life of Lester.

Today, we also gather as support for Laura Mae and the Kreider family.

Thank you both friends and family for gathering together as we remember Lester and as we gather to celebrate his impact on our lives and in the lives of his family and community.

As we are gathered to both, remember and celebrate the life of Laura Mae Kreider, in many ways, we are also here to honor how we saw God work in and through the life of Laura.

Thank you both friends and family for gathering together as we remember Laura, not forgetting the recent loss of Lester, and for the ways you’ve committed to supporting the Kreider family.

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The reality about funerals…

Psalm 18:2

There is a reality about funerals and death that reminds us of the uncertainty of life, and the grief and mourning we encounter in our journey through living.

Funerals, for followers of Jesus, also remind us to realign our eternal selves with who God is.

It is an opportunity to look even more to God with praise and love, for his hope and help, and to recognize the ways that we can further anchor ourselves in God’s strength, salvation, and protection.

We live in a world that is always shifting and changing.

In such calamity, we look for that one rock or thing that won’t change.

Earlier, Chaplain Donna Mack Shenk read some of the scriptures chosen to honor Laura Mae Kreider.

In those scriptures was , a verse that was dear to Laura Mae.

This song from David, which is part of, has great history.

Hiding in the rocks…

In 1 Samuel, we find David had just slayed Goliath, the giant, an unremarkable feat.

As David returns home, the Kingdom is dancing and singing.

In their songs they jest David has killed tens of thousands, but King Saul only thousands.

Getting word of this, King Saul is hurt, his hurt leads to jealously, and his jealously opens up his soul to evil and it says "an evil Spirit came forcefully on Saul."

Saul was worried David would get his Kingdom, and so in that moment once Saul sees David, once a friend, now as an enemy.

Saul tries to first spear David as he is playing his guitar.

When that doesn't work, he sent David away to lead troops into battle.

Yet, God protected him and his success only grew, as did the love of the people.

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Like an Ostrich, there are many times we wish we could keep our head hiding in the sand and rocks.

One of my favorite stories of someone hiding in the rocks is Christopher Knight.

It was about six years ago that Christopher Knight, known as 'The man in the woods' emerged from the woods in the state of Maine.

In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster had just occurred, and Christopher Knight was working for a vehicle alarm company near Boston.

He had no friends, and he was in shock from the change of society taking place under the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

He tried to find answers and resolve by taking to the open road.

When that didn't work, his frustration with people and the colliding realities of the world led him to run away into the woods for 27-years.

After a long time of trying to find a place to call his home in the woods, he finally discovered a cluster of rock boulders, one with a hidden opening that led to a tiny, clearing.

Once he found those rocks, he is quoted as saying, “I knew at once it was ideal.

So I settled in.”

For Chris became a hermit, hiding in the rocks, protected by the rocks in a world that felt like it was declining out of control.

He made a home away from civilization, in his safe place of the Maine woods, for 27-years.

In the uncertainty of life and the grief and mourning of this journey of life, Christopher Knight was found hiding in the rocks.

Then Saul tries to get David to marry his daughters, as long as he goes off and kills so many Philistines.

David probably wise that Saul was trying to put him in harms way of his enemy, refuses such an offer.

Saul’s tactics and fear of David continue, but David is able to get away and run into hiding.

…

The Lord had protected David through the many manipulations of evil.

In his safety, David a musician by trade, sits down and writes a song of praise to God. in that song, found in , David cries out

In that song, David cries out “ I love you, Lord, my strength.

Earlier, Donna read some scriptures chosen to honor Laura Mae Kreider.

In those scriptures was .

This was a verse that was dear to Laura Mae Kreider.

reads;

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I love you, LORD, my strength.

I love you, LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my shield r and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield r and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,

and I have been saved from my enemies.

my shield r and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,

and I have been saved from my enemies.

3 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), .

What a powerful confession from David.

Though we may not all have a King trying his best to see to our end, we all have an enemy.

Life, and those that live, share a common enemy, death.

The King James adds an inscription to this song that it was from David becomes God had delivered David from his enemies and from Saul.

David had more enemies than just Saul, David faced death in battle, in his service to Saul, and just as part of life.

Death followed David, in the same way that it follows all of us.

“I love you, LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield r, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.”

and I have been saved from my enemies.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), .

The New International Version of reads, “I love you, LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield r and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.”

I love you, LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield r and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), .

What a powerful confession from David.

Though we may not all have a King trying his best to see to our end, we all have an enemy.

Life, and those that live, share a common enemy, death.

The King James adds an inscription to this song that it was from David becomes God had delivered David from his enemies and from Saul.

David had more enemies than just Saul, David faced death in battle, in his service to Saul, and just as part of life.

Death followed David, in the same way that it follows all of us.

In this space in which finally felt like freedom David writes this song “I love you, Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies”, and later in this song found in David sings “The Lord was my stay, he brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me.”

He also confesses through song at the end of this passage in that God “shows unfailing love to his anointed.”