Well, I’m the guy who wrote a couple of novels that some of you have read. They are in the Magnolia Series. The firs book is titled, Behind the Magnolia Tree and the second, When the Magnolia Blooms. I understand that a couple of people have even suggested that the bookstore managers might want to keep those novels under the counter. I don’t know if we’ll be coming up with brown plain wrappers to put them in or not. Well at the very least, that ought to peak some of your interest just a little bit. I’m also the guy who wrote the book Those Episkopals. I called it Those Episkopals, because I have discovered that most people can’t say Episcopalian. They say, I’m one of those Episcopals, and so it makes a great name for a book. It’s been used now in over a thousand congregations throughout the United States. I see Joseph Lund sitting in the congregation and recall that you used it in your parish in Washington D. C. Some of the chapter titles just might interest you. Why don’t Episcopalians act more religious? Can you get saved in the Episcopal Church? We all need to know the answer to that one. Why do Episcopalians read their prayers? Does God like all that ritual? And the chapter I want to focus on today, at least the theme of the chapter, Are there going to be any Episcopalians in heaven?

Now, today’s lessons talk a great deal about heaven -- the words are beautiful, the prophet Isaiah states, "There will be feasts of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, that God will prepare for us. He will swallow up deaths forever; the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces." The Collect describes heaven as "ineffable joys." The Book of Revelation says, "Death will be no more, mourning and crying and pain will be no more. The first things have passed away." And in the Gospel, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead to show the people that God has power even over death. And, lest you not hear the words that our magnificent choir is going to sing, in just a few minutes in the Anthem, let me read them for you. "Give us the wings of faith to rise within the vial, to see the saints above how great their joys, how bright their glories be."

We proclaim that the earth is not our home, heaven is our home. We’re just passing through. We talk poetically when we describe heaven. We talk about it being eternal bliss, perfect peace. We talk about the pearly gates and the streets of gold.

It reminds me of the preacher that was waxing elegant on heaven. He was telling everyone how wonderful it will be when we all get to heaven. When we all see Jesus face to face just think about how wonderful it’s going to be. He ended his sermon with this request. "Now everyone in this congregation that wants to go to heaven raise your hands." Everybody in the congregation held up their hands except for one man sitting in the front pew. He folded his arms in front of him and began shaking his head. The preacher thought he must not have understood. "Well he thought to himself, I’ll ask again. "How many in this congregation want to go to heaven? Hold up your hand." Once again everyone in the congregation held up their hand except that one gentleman He folded his arms more firmly and shook his head. The preacher leaned over the top of the pulpit and looked directly at him. ‘Brother, when you die, don’t you want to go to heaven? The guy brightened up and looked up at the preacher. "Oh, sure, when I die, but I thought you were trying to get a bus load up to go today!"

Now, how are we supposed to live in this life knowing this earth is not our home and that we are literally passing through? What I would like to suggest to you is that the promise of heaven, makes it possible for us to make friends with death. The prayer book reminds us of "the shortness and uncertainty of life." But that’s not something for us to be anxious about. But rather it makes it possible for us to make friends with death. Friend death can be a constant reminder that we are living under a deadline. We need to keep our priorities straight. We need to keep the trivial and unimportant in their proper place. Have you ever wondered how many friendships, how many relationships, how many marriages, how many life partnerships, have been absolutely destroyed by that which is so trivial and so unimportant? Have you ever wondered about the pain that has been caused by things that in the great scheme of things are down right silly?

One Saturday night several years ago I had not been able to work on my sermon the previous week because of some extraordinary parish events. I was under pressure to get my sermon finished. I told my family that I was going to go into my study , I’m going to shut the door, I don’t want anybody to bother me. Well, I was in there just a few minutes when my little five-year old son opened the door. I could see him out of the corner of my eye. I said, "Denny, I told you I did not want to be bothered." Well, he came up and began to tug on my sleeve. Without looking up I repeated, "I told you I’ve got to get this sermon done. Please go away and leave me alone." I turned to look at him and I saw that he had big tears rolling down his cheeks. He said, "Daddy, I just wanted to give you a good night kiss." Soon he was in my lap. We found a book so I could read him a story. I carried him up to his bed, tucked him in, and heard his prayers and gave him that kiss. Now I must confess that the congregation did not get a homiletical masterpiece the next day, but they seemed to survive just fine. But one little five-year old boy slept very well, secure in his father’s love.

I came across this letter on the internet the other day which really speaks about keeping our priorities straight. A father was passing by his 15-year old son’s bedroom and was astonished to see the bed nicely made up and everything neat and tidy. Then he saw an envelope propped up on the pillow addressed to ‘Dad’. He had the worst premonition; he opened the letter with trembling hands.

Dear Dad:

It is with great regret and sorrow that I am writing you, I had to elope with my new girl friend because I wanted to avoid a scene with you and Mom, I’ve been finding real passion with Joan and she is so nice, I knew you would not approve of her because she is so much older than I am. But dad, lots of 15 year old boys have found true love with 42-year old women. And dad, before your judge her, you need to know that it’s not just about the passion, she’s having my baby, Joan says we’re going to be very happy She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood - enough for the whole winter. We dream of having more children.

Joan has also opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn’t really hurt any one, we’ll be growing it and selling it to support ourselves Don’t worry dad, I know I’m only 15 years old , but I do know how to take care of myself. Someday, I’m sure we’ll be back to visit so you’ll get to know all your grandchildren.

Your son,

Chad.

The father’s hands were shaking and his eyes were beginning to fill with tears as he struggled to read the following postscript.

P. S. Dad, none of the above it true, I’m over at Tommy’s house , I just wanted to remind you there are worse things in life than the report card that’s in my desk drawer.’ I love you; call me when it’s safe to come home.

Friend death helps us to keep the main thing in life, the main thing. What if we win some trivial argument, but lose a friend? What if we prove that we are right about something that doesn’t really matter, but lose the respect of the person challenged? What if we build our fortune, but destroy the lives of those we profess to love? What if we gain the whole world, but literally loose our own souls?

When I was serving the congregation in Houston, Texas, I got to know a family by the name of Lychner Joe and Pam Lychner were a beautiful couple , they had 2 small children, 10 year old Shannon and 8 year old Katy. Ten year old Shannon was best friends with my daughter. Pam decided she wanted to take the girls to Paris for a week. It would be a girl’s week in Paris. So they flew from Houston to New Year and there they were to change planes to fly on to Paris. When they got to New York, Pam and the girls called Joe. But Joe was in a very important business meeting. He told his secretary that he couldn’t take the call just then and asked her to tell them to call him when they get to Paris. Pam wasn’t happy with that answer. A few minutes later she called back and this time the secretary said to him, ‘Joe, this is your wife and daughters - take the call." He took the call and talked to his wife and his daughters. He could hear his daughters playing in the background. After they hung up the phone, Pam, Shannon, and Katy, boarded TWA Flight Number 800 bound for Paris. It was July 17, 1996. As you all remember, that plane exploded shortly after take off. There were no survivors.

The family friends collected some money to build a statute in memory of Pam and the girls. The statue of Pam and the girls was placed in a park in Houston. It was my privilege to bless that statute and say the prayers at that service of dedication. At the service, Joe told all those gathered the story I just related to you. When he finished that story, he looked out at all of us and he said, "When it comes to the people that you really care about in your life, always take the call."

See, friend death reminds us to keep our priorities straight. Friend death destroys the illusion that we can postpone the really important until tomorrow. If there are words we need to say, we need to say them today. If there is someone we need to hug, we need to hug them today. If there is a good deed that we need to do, we need to do it today. If there is an apology we need to make, we need to do it today. Friend death reminds us that tomorrow just might be too late.

Tricia Youngson wrote a beautiful little poem that summarizes what I have been trying to say to you this morning. The name of the poem is, If I Knew.

If I knew it would be the last time
I’d see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and a kiss
and call you back for one more.
If I knew it would be the last time
that I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise ,
I would video tape each action and word
so I could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say , I love you,
instead of assuming you know I did.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I would be there to share your day,
well, I’m sure you’ll have so many more,
that I can just let this one slip away.

For surely, there’s always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right,
There’ll always be another day
to say , I love you,
and certainly there’s another chance to say,
anything I can do?

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I’d like to say I love you
and I hope we never forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young, or old alike,
and today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you’re waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you’ll surely regret the day
That you didn’t take the extra time
for a smile , a hug, a kiss,
and you were too busy to grant someone
what turned out to be their one last wish.
So, hold your loved ones close today
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
And that you always hold them dear.
Take time to say "I’m sorry,""Thank you,"
"Please forgive me," or "It’s okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
You’ll have no regrets about today.

© 1998 - 2008Saint Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Palm Desert CA" All rights reserved.  Please contact the church for permission to use any of this material