Jesus, the Cross and Tom

Processional: Space Oddity by David Bowie

Welcome:

Every now and then, as we make our way through this life, there are moments when we are given a chance to pause and reflect upon what life means, on who we are and how we mean to live our lives. This is one such moment. Death provides us with opportunities to do an inventory of our lives, to let go of that which no longer has a claim upon our devotion, and to lay hold of that which we determine to treasure. We are here today to pay tribute to the life and memory of Thomas Williams. If we are willing, it can also be a time to reflect upon our values, habits and commitments. Death is a great mystery, even as life itself is a mystery. We will ponder these mysteries together during this service.

Throughout this service you will hear songs that reflect moments in Tom’s life, they reflect the struggles he went through, and even some of the triumphs he achieved. They reflect how even though he had his struggles he understood that he was the one who needed choose to change his life for the better.

This first song points to the how we can’t take forgranted the few seconds left we have on this earth and how we need to make the most of those seconds. We need to make sure we can be proud of who we have been. If we can’t be proud of who we have been, the question is what can we do to improve ourselves?

Introduce second song: Seconds by Christee Palace

The 1st Scripture reading for our service if from Psalm 23 (Elias Williams)

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

We will now have the Eulogy Read by Bonnie Heikkila

This next song makes me thing of Tom. Tom hid alot of the pain he suffered from his military experience deep inside because most people can’t understand what he went through. Yes all these years later Tom was here in Canada but he was also back there. He saw things and heard things no man should hear or see. He was taught how to put on that uniform but mentally he never took it off, and when you can’t take your uniform off mentally it weighs a tone. This next song is called the Soldier’s Memoire by Mitch Rossell

Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, we come before you today, carrying all the diverse needs and longings, joys and sorrows that fill our hearts. We pray that in this time together, we might truly honour Tom’s memory and your presence among us. God, we come to you with many unanswered questions today, seeking peace, bowing before the mysteries that surround us. Meet us here, we pray. Heal and comfort, strengthen and soothe us. Deal with us in what ambivalence or anxiety we find ourselves in this moment, and grant your blessing upon us, in the name of and for the sake of Christ. Amen.

Our 2nd Scripture reading will be read by a friend who extended a hand of kindness and grace to Tom, Keith Buckingham: Luke 23:32-43

Luke 23:32–43 NASB95

Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him. When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

The Message: Jesus, The cross, and Tom

Something that is of interest to me is that soldiers always relax with soldiers. Now, I don’t mean that soldiers relax with any other soldiers; there are soldiers who play political games around them, and then there are soldiers WHO ARE SOLDIERS. The soldiers who play their political games are nothing more than that— politicians in a uniform. But then there are soldiers; no matter what, we are family.

We may have served in different times, and different places, but we have a common bond that ties us together, and that is the uniform. Soldiers who even resent the military today still find themselves drawn to other soldiers who have the same lived and shared experiences. They might be angry at how the military, or rather the politicians in the military, treated them. Still, when it comes to being involved with other soldiers, we can’t help but put everything down and try our best to help, no matter which way we look at it, whether we like it or not, we are family.

So it’s of no surprise when one afternoon, Bonnie and Thomas found themselves sitting across a table at A+W with me, having lunch and discussing life and all the challenges it held for them. As I listened to their story, I heard something that Tom had said, so I interrupted him and asked him to back up. See, most soldiers can identify another soldier just by hearing the words they say, so I asked Tom to repeat himself, and I heard it; I actually can’t remember what he said but it was unique to the military. I asked him if he served, and he said yes. He didn’t give me much to go on because I asked for his service number, and he said he wasn’t sure if he even had one, which, to me, didn’t make any sense. So I would join a long line of people who doubted Tom, but I had to know for sure, so I took Tom’s info with his permission and ran it through Sask Command, and sure enough, we found there was a service file on Tom confirming he had been a soldier. Tom was my brother.

So, with this, I got to work. And only by the grace of God, we found a house for him and his family, a job, and with guidance from the Holy Spirit, we worked to get this family what they needed. Only to see it crash. Now, we can sit here and point fingers and say this is a common trend it is that person's fault or their fault, but truth be told, we need to look at something as we are pointing. We need to look at our pointed hand. You will see the index finger pointing out, but there are three fingers pointing back. There is another military saying: you never point with your index finger; you always point with your hand. The reality is Tom laid in the bed he made. He made a lot of mistakes. Despite some of us leading him to lifes proverbial fresh water to drink from, he refused to drink it. Tom definitely hurt many people profoundly, while at the same time, Tom was also hurt deeply.

In Tom’s military service, he saw horrific things, he struggled with memories, he struggled with thoughts, and when he would reach out in his rough but affectionate way, people would hear his stories but not believe him because of how harrowing they sounded. How could someone like Tom have experienced such a situation that it seems like it belongs in Hollywood, hey?

Tom’s life from when he left the military had joys, and it had triumphs, but Tom suffered from PTSD. When untreated and unsupported, PTSD is a slow crucifixion, especially when you think you are all alone and no one believes you. But even under the darkness of the shadow that PTSD castes over someone, Tom would still help others, almost to a fault. If Tom thought someone else was in more need than him, he would give that person his last coin. Tom would see those in need when others might pass them by. Tom loved deeply and would defend vigorously.

As you can see, I titled this message “Jesus, the Cross, and Tom.” I did this on purpose, and I had that reading from Luke 23:32-43 read on purpose too. I want you to pay attention to the story and see if you see what I see. So, I’ll read it again: Luke 23:32-43

Luke 23:32–43 NASB95

Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him. When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

When I was thinking about what to say today, this passage came up because I didn’t just find comfort in it, but it reminded me of Tom. Tom, especially towards the end of his life, didn’t blame others for the proverbial cross he was on; he knew he was the reason he was there. Sure, the unbelief and having to prove his story true to others didn’t help him. But he knew it was his cross to bear and not others. Further, where society would look down on others and doubt them, Tom would defend them and love them. Where these social outcastes would be invisible to the rest of us, Tom would see them. In fact, Tom’s last act on this earth was to show love and compassion to a young man who was all but unseen.

You heard me say that Tom’s life, through its joys and wins, was a long crucifixion. I still hold to that because of the torment he suffered on the inside, but like I said, he tried to love outwardly, even though sometimes it didn’t seem like it at all.

If Tom were to be one of the men on the cross next to Jesus, as the other man starts to join in with the crowds hurling insults at Jesus, I could see Tom rebuking that man. I could see Tom defending Jesus, who was clearly innocent and didn’t belong on that third cross. I could see Tom pointing out that there should only be two crosses on this blasted hill. I could see Tom explaining that those two crosses belonged to him and the other man, not Jesus.

Imagine with me for a moment, Tom saying to the other man condemned on the cross, “We are punished justly,” snarls Tom, “We are getting exactly what we deserve.” I can almost see Thomas glaring at the other man at this point, but then Tom’s expression softens as he turns his eyes upon Jesus and continues, “But this man,” Tom says softly, “has done, nothing wrong.” Tom had a heart like the kind man on the cross, so I could see Tom continuing by looking at Jesus and saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Now imagine with me, at that moment, before death on this earth grips them; Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, today you Tom will be with me in paradise.”

There is a poem that often speaks to those of us who have seen horrific things. It is written by a man named William Ernest Henley; it is called Invictus. It goes like this:

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank (God) For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

This poem says it all: we are the ones who are in control of our own lives; we are the ones who can leave the darkness behind, but we need to choose to leave the darkness. If we decide to live in the darkness, it will continue. Tom, in his last act on earth, saw someone living firmly in the darkness, and instead of dwelling in the darkness with this young man, Tom chose to live as a light in a dark place. Clearly, I believe, as a Christian pastor, that Christ is the answer to all things. I believe in the healing power of the Holy Spirit. I can tell you how Christ transformed my life and made it better, especially as I have sought to live faithfully for him daily. I myself scored high on the PTSD scale, but it is because I sought to make my soul right with the LORD that those struggles don’t cripple me.

Those last two lines of the Invictus are true; you are the master of your fate. You are the captain of your soul. It's up to you, this day, how you leave this place. Do you leave this place in continued darkness, or do you choose, this day, to seek a light in this broken and twisted world? The trouble with Trauma is it is intergenerational; it is passed on from one generation to the next, but you have a choice to end that hurt and that pain in your life once and for all. Truthfully, everyone you ask who has had hurt and darkness in their life, “How have you been set free?” They will tell you, in one way or another, “I have found freedom by giving up ownership of that hurt and pain.” Like the man on the cross, he gave ownership to all the hurt and pain and found freedom on the cross of all places.

So my invitation to you is this: you can live in the hurt that Tom might have caused you, you can live in the hurt of the chaos we call life, or you can choose to find what Tom found in his last moments on this earth. Instead of living in the darkness of trauma, you can find a way that you can be a light in this broken and perverted world. You are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul, but Jesus invites you to give up that ownership, letting him carry those difficult things for you. Jesus says this in Matthew 11:28-29, and I believeTom heard it on his last day. I wish he had heard it sooner --- Matthew 11:28-29

Matthew 11:28–29 NLT

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Let us pray.

Soldiers Last Rights: In honour of tradition and to show respect to Thomas as a Veteran, we will now fulfill the traditions of honoring his military service. We will start by standing and singing the first and last verses of Abide with Me.

The Clergy:

In the presence of the last earthly remains of our Comrade Thomas Williams, whose loss we mourn but whose spirit still lives, may we, as citizens and members of the Royal Canadian Legion, be charged anew with the full sense of our duties and responsibilities to our country and our organization. May we ever strive to uphold the principles of unselfish service that led them to serve our God and our country in times of war and in peace, so that we may continue to serve, even unto death.

- Place a single poppy on casket

-Prayer:

O God, we remember before you those who laid down their lives for freedom and truth. We commend their souls into your gracious keeping and pray that we may be worthy of their sacrifice. Help us to be faithful and true to those ideals for which they fought and died. May we continue to perpetuate the memory of our departed comrades by our service to country, community and comrades. And remembering our solemn obligation, may we ever pray - Lord God of Hosts; Be with us yet.”

Response: Lest we forget; Lest we forget.

-Last Post

-Silence

-Reveille

-Act of Remembrance.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down at the sun and in the morning, we shall remember them

Response: We will remember them.

-Prayer:

Our Heavenly Father grant, we beseech you, to the loved ones of our departed comrade, your comfort and protection. Amen.

-Folding of the Flag, Present to family.

-Poppies to be placed.

-Song: The Sound of Silence

-Recessional