for Harvey, at HNEC
Starring Harvey’s beloved family, this funeral is also for my fellow Florida Gator and fellow Naval officer - - deeply loved and respected by those around him, as I witnessed on my visits to their home during Harvey’s last days as an earthling.
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”, and Harvey is off on his journey into wherever and whatever God has in mind for us -> in my Father’s house are many - - μοναὶ lodgings, rooms, dwellings, abodes - - mansions: I go to prepare one for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you I return and take you to myself, that where I am there ye may be also. And where I go, ye know, and the way ye know! But WAIT: WHAT?! A mystery, a great mystery! Because we are practical beings, like Thomas, “Lord, don’t MESS with us: we do NOT know where you are going, how can we know the way?!
Jesus says, and to me this is chief and foremost among his I AM sayings, “ Ἐγώ εἰμι I AM - the Way”. The blessed assurance that, loving and following Jesus, we live into the mystery of death without fear - - it does not matter, we do not need to know Where or How or When, only our faith to follow Jesus out of Time, beyond the veil, into the mists and mystery of whatever Eternity God has in heart and mind for us.
What kind of mansion Harvey visualized, I do not know: we all have our own point of view, mine is an old Southern mansion with six or eight tall, white columns, sitting back from a circular driveway, and in the driveway is a red Auburn touring car, with the top down and the engine running, waiting for me to get in the seat, behind the wheel, and drive off across the heavens. When it comes to faith, belief, hope, religion, don’t rely on the certainty of others, use your own imagination.
Troyanne told me they already HAVE many mansions but that unfortunately they all need renovating. Harvey’s NEW mansion is unblemished in the heavens (no bricks stacked in the front driveway!)
We shall pray next, and I don’t want those prayers to slip by you unheard, because they are expressions of the theology of our church. in fact, I especially call your attention to one of the petitions, one that is for each of us, for you, wherever you are in sadness of heart and mind this afternoon. It goes like this:
Give courage and faith to those who are bereaved, that they
may have strength to meet the days ahead in the comfort of a
reasonable and holy hope, in the joyful expectation of eternal
life with those they love.
In the Episcopal Church we have a saying,
lex orandi lex credendi - - it means the law of praying is the law of believing: our theology, what we believe about God and about our relationship with God who loves us, is found in what we do and say and sing and pray when we gather for worship - - and this IS a worship service. So what I proclaim to you theologically this evening is our joyful expectation of eternal life with those we love. And because of that, our service this evening is an Easter service: Alleliuia, Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed, and we shall be raised with him.
And now as you remain seated, or stand, or kneel, in peace let us pray to the Lord.