Saturday, August 11, 2018

Homily for the Repose of the Soul of Karen Jones


Homily for the Repose of the Soul of Karen Jones


[Note:  the Scripture readings chosen by Karen are in italic font the homily begins after the readings] 

1 Corinthians 13:1-13
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Matthew 5:1-10

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We are a peculiar people in the church.  The focus on this service is not one of grief and despair but of hope and love.  We do not wear the black of Good Friday but the white of Easter.  This is an Easter service.  A service of resurrection. A service that recognizes the promise of eternal life.  We remember that even at the grave our song is one of Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.  A service that celebrates the promise of resurrection and of new life.  A service where we remember that Karen has gone to the place “where sorrow and pain are now more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.”  This does not mean that you are not mourning Karen’s departure from this mortal life.  It does not mean that you will not grieve her leaving.  But as the peculiar people that we are the mourning and grief can be tempered with the knowledge that Karen has escaped this mortal life in the promise of her savior that resurrection into eternal life is real. 

All one has to do is look at this service to see what Karen believed.  She designed this service knowing that cancer was taking over and that she would be departing those she loved.  Karen did not want any lessons about grief.  She wanted only lessons that talk about the love of God. 

The first lesson – from First Corinthians is one that is commonly used at weddings.  In it we are reminded that God is love.  And that when we speak and act if we do not do so in love then we are a clanging cymbal.  A loud raucous noise.  It is when we are able to embrace the great Commandment and to Love God and Love our neighbors that we speak in the tongues of angles.  It is the promise that when our work is done on this earth that we will be taken up into the eternal love that is God.  Karen’s choice to focus on God’s love speaks volumes about her beliefs and her life.  The love of God that is supreme.

The second lesson – commonly known as the beatitudes shows us how God works.  It describes an economy that is so different from our own economy.  It turns our understanding of how the economy of the world is supposed to work right side up.  In the transliteration of the bible by Eugene Patterson – called the Message he translates the beatitude this way:

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family
 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
When I read this version of the beatitudes I see how countercultural they are.  They point us to the economy that is created from love and points to Love.  They remind us that our focus should be on the radical acceptance of God and the radical gift of God’s love to us. 
Karen’s love of creation – her involvement with Native American spirituality – as evidenced by Deacon Powell’s smudging with sweet grass today even goes into Karen’s choice for the prayer that we will say at the Great Thanksgiving.  Karen choose to use Eucharistic Prayer C – which some Episcopalians call the Star Trek prayer, which has at its focus on God’s Good creation and our job as stewards of that creation – this Island Home or Fragile Earth.

While I have known Karen for only a short time – first as an intern at St. Matthew’s several years ago and more recently at the end of her life and in both instances I saw the Love of God in her.  Karen talked about her journey into the arms of the church – as she put it - and how it became more meaningful to her.  At St. Matthew’s over the years she became involved in various roles including Sunday school, hospitality, and involvement with varied cultural groups.  Including with the ongoing Hispanic ministry program at St. Matthew’s as well as the Native American ministry group that used to meet at St. Matthew’s.  I see that Love Karen has for all in her son Adam and daughter in law Jasmine as they gathered to be with Karen as she prepared to say good bye.

We gather today to remember the life of Karen Jones.  We are here to grieve that she will no longer we with us on this side of the veil.  We are her to mourn that she will no longer be there to call or to visit with.  But we can take heart that Karen believed that she was going to that place where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.  Karen knew that her body was failing her and that her time was coming to an end -so she designed this service to remind us that God is all about Love.  And that Love she shared for her family, friends, and God’s creation is a wonderful thing. 

Take time to mourn.  Take time to grieve.  I read a wonderful thing that said that grief is not about stages, or about reaching certain milestones.  Grief is a journey.  A journey down a river of love.  A journey where you will be caught up short in your love for Karen by something you hear, read, or even some distinctive smell.  A journey that will bring a tear to your eye, a smile to your face and a warmth in your heart – sometimes all at the same time.  Welcome those moments.  And remember that Karen believed in the Love that is never ending and wishes nothing more than for us to bask in that Love just has she is basking in the eternal embrace of her savior.  For even at the grave Karen made her song – alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! 

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