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Sermon January 11, 2023
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, MSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Funeral of Thomas Leroy Way
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:14
Tom was a faithful member of the Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen for at least the past 12 years. He was confirmed at the church in 2012. I met him in June of 2015, when I came as Rector.
Tom came every Sunday and sometimes even in his beloved El Camino. He was also a regular at the men’s breakfast each Wednesday morning.
When I announced to the parish that I would like to come visit everyone, Tom was one who eagerly signed up. He said he wanted to get to know me better and see what I was all about.
Tom was definitely a curious person. I think he enjoyed learning new things. So many things interested him – history; engines, of course; music; and how people lived.
He also was interested in learning more about God and following Jesus Christ. I think he liked asking questions and exploring his faith more. He often attended our Parlor People sessions where we explored various topics of Christian faith and life. For some reason, and maybe because it’s close to our remembrance of Dr. King, I remember him attending and being so interested in our session on Dr. King’s “Letter From the Birmingham Jail.”
Tom appreciated time spent in Christian fellowship. I remember him helping with the pancake supper each year on the night before Ash Wednesday. He and Fran even brought their own maple syrup.
The pandemic was hard. We tried to keep in touch and I really enjoyed our phone conversations; however, it just wasn’t the same and I think he felt it too…missed coming to church and missed seeing people.
His health issues made it hard for him to return to the church once the Covid restrictions were lifted. One of the last times I saw him, he seemed wistful about not being able to get there.
We were fortunate to share communion during the last visit I made with him. He thanked me so much. He was grateful for the sacrament.
Now we all know Tom wasn’t perfect. We especially know he could be stubborn about some things. But mostly, I think, he was very generous. He tried to walk a life of being led by the spirit and following the lead of the spirit. He was a child of God.
Being a child of God implies a very intimate relationship with God. In the Episcopal service, when we pray The Lord’s Prayer, we say that we are bold to address God as our Father…as our parent. We are in a very close relationship with God. That also implies that we are siblings to Christ and to each other. We are all related in the spiritual sense.
All of this relationship is not always easy, is it?
In our faith tradition, we are in the season of Epiphany, when we see how the light of Christ entered and continues to shine in our world. This past Sunday we observed the Baptism of Christ and renewed our Baptismal promises. This renewal of baptism was something Tom did many times during the years he was a member of the church.
He affirmed his renunciation of evil and renewed his commitment to Jesus Christ. He affirmed his belief in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
With God’s help, he agreed to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers. With God’s help he agreed to persevere in resisting evil and whenever he fell into sin, to repent and return to God. With God’s help he proclaimed by word and example the Good News of God in Christ. With God’s help he sought and served Christ in all persons, loving his neighbor as himself. With God’s help, he worked for justice and peace among all people and respected the dignity of every human being.
We will miss our brother in Christ. We will miss his thoughtful curiosity. We will miss his zest for learning. We will miss his faithfulness. We will miss his presence with us in our worship together.
May we, like Tom, be led by the Holy Spirit and know that we are children of God.
Amen
