Funeral of Dr. Edward Hill

Dr. Edward Hill, 12/19/21
Isaiah 25:6-9
Revelation 21:2-7
John 14:1-6

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

They say it isn’t what you know but rather who you know that counts.  And that’s true, though maybe not in the way you’re thinking.  We’ll come back to that in a minute.

You are probably well aware of Edward Hill’s remarkable life out in the world.  I mean, that’s why you’re here.  Because you knew Dr. Ed Hill.  Out in the world.  But a funeral is really about Ed’s life in the church, his relationship with God, and—more importantly—God’s relationship with him.

I find it interesting that Dr. Hill was born during a pandemic, and died during a pandemic, and in between he dedicated his entire life to healing the sick and attending births.  I find it quite moving that a man who served in World War II chose so many songs about peace for his funeral service.  People who have not seen the horrors of war might want “Onward Christian Soldiers” at this service.  Ed wanted “Let There Be Peace On Earth.”

Edward Hill accomplished a lot during his lifetime, and the world is a better place because he was in it.  Some people accomplish a lot, and some people don’t.  And in the eyes of God they are all the same.  George H. W. Bush was an Episcopalian, and at his funeral the priest read the same commendation that I will read for Ed today, which is the same commendation I read at the funeral of people I’ve never even met.  In the eyes of God and the Church, we are all the same.  And that is very good news . . . to most of us.

Yes, there are lots of people who make the world better, like Dr. Hill.  But there are not a lot of people as dedicated to God and the Church as he was.  Some people walk through those doors on Sunday morning and parishioners ask me, “Who is that person?”  No one ever asked that about Dr. Hill.  Everybody knew who Ed Hill was.  And you know why?  Because he was here, every single Sunday, no matter what.

He insisted that he was going to walk in that door rather than the parking lot door as long as he could still climb the steps.  He insisted he was going to come up to the Altar for communion as long as he could still walk.  That’s his pew right over there, which I’m thinking we’ll need to put a plaque on some day.  

Even during COVID, once we could open the doors, Ed kept coming.  Kept showing up.  Kept wanting it all to work.  Kept telling me we needed to have a sock hop for the kids, and reminiscing about adult forums where everybody would smoke cigarettes and drink coffee in the parish hall.

But here’s the thing I want to make sure you know and remember about Dr. Edward Hill.  At the spry young age of . . . 99, he invited his YMCA workout buddy Jackie to come to church with him.  And.  She.  Came.  And she keeps showing up.  All the research shows that the best way to grow a church is not for the priest to come up with clever new programs and things “for the kids.”  No, the best way to grow the church—to spread the love of God—is for the members to invite people to come to church.  And that’s what Ed Hill did.

On page 304 of the prayer book, in the Baptismal Covenant, we promise to “continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.”  That is a veritable checklist of how Ed Hill lived his life.  Learning about God with his friends, receiving the Sacrament, and praying in this room.  Dr. Hill kept his promise to do those exact things right up until the end.

In the gospel reading we heard just a little while ago, Jesus has gathered the disciples and is telling them that he must leave them now.  But he tells them they need not worry nor be troubled, because they know the way.  And Thomas—the logical guy—says, “Uh Jesus?  No offense but, we don’t even know where you are going.  How can we possibly know ‘the way’?”

And Jesus says to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Edward Hill knew the way and the truth and the life.  And that’s why he kept showing up here every single Sunday.  He lived his life knowing Jesus, knowing God’s love, knowing that the good news is something you tell your friends about.  What made Ed Hill such a remarkable man wasn’t what he knew, but who he knew.  Not what Ed accomplished, but what Jesus accomplished for him and through him.  It was an honor to know Dr. Edward Hill, and it was always a pleasure to spend time with him, because Ed knew the Way.

Amen.

Thanksgiving Eve

 Preached at community ecumenical service, at Faith Lutheran Church, Massillon OH

Thanksgiving, 2021
Joel 2:21-27
Psalm 126
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Matthew 6:25-33

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 So here’s a weird thing.  Thanksgiving is a day set aside for us to give thanks for the abundance in our lives.  But this gospel reading we just heard seems to focus our attention on scarcity.  Most people spend Thanksgiving cooking way too much food, rather than worrying about not having enough.  So why do we get this reading on this day?  What gives?

Well, I think the answer lies in the word “worry.”  Some of the people most focused on wealth are the people with the most wealth.  Billionaires who spend all their time worrying about how to become the world’s first Trillionaire.  This gospel reading sounds like Jesus is preaching to the poor folks, but I think he’s preaching even harder to the rich people.  Why are you worried about your fancy clothes and your banquet table and your fancy house and your stock options?  It’s not that you don’t have enough; it’s that you have too much.

What I really like about this reading is the part about the birds.  They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns.  But if you’ve ever watched the activity around a bird feeder, you know that birds definitely put in the effort to find food.  It’s not like the food comes to them.  They look for food, and they find food, and they eat food.  But what they don’t do is store up food for tomorrow.  They don’t worry about tomorrow . . . because they don’t even know what a “tomorrow” is, right?

Birds don’t have pockets or purses or barns.  So they live day to day.  And then there’s us.  We’re supposed to not only plan for today tomorrow and next week, we’re supposed to plan for our retirement and—as any life insurance agent will tell you—even plan for our death!  Every message we get about responsible adulting is focused on the future.  What will tomorrow bring?  Think about the grandchildren you don’t even have yet.  You and I are a long way from this sort of “Hippie lessons of the Buddha” that Jesus is giving us today.  It’s hard to know how to apply it to our lives, to be honest.

We are told, in essence, “Don’t worry because God provides.”  Well, okay, how does God provide?  I’m afraid we all secretly think God provides in the way of manna in the desert.  You know, like when I’m hungry, a can of soup will just fall from the sky.  When I need a parking spot, God will magically provide one.  But hopefully we all agree, that’s not the case.  How does God provide?  I think the answer is, God provides through other people.  

Here’s a great example:  One thing I am very thankful for this year is a safe, effective vaccine available to anyone who wants it.  And you know who made that possible?  Other people.  God imbues us with wisdom and knowledge and creativity, and people used those to create a vaccine that will save millions of lives.  God provides through other people.  But it takes people being willing to use their God-given gifts to make a difference.

And, for an example on the other end of things, there is no reason anyone anywhere should starve to death when there are other people around.  There is plenty of food in the world to feed every person every day.  And yet . . . well, you’ve seen the news.  We have the food, and we have the people to distribute it, but something gets lost along the way.

Either way, it all comes down to people.  The reason you’re even here in this church tonight is because somebody told you about Jesus.  When you were a child, somebody might have taken you to church.  When you were a baby, somebody definitely fed you, since newborns are even more helpless than the birds of the air.  Other people have brought you to where you are today.  God has given us each other.

At Thanksgiving we express our gratefulness for the many blessings of this life.  Out of habit, we show that mostly by covering our tables with more food than we can possibly eat in one sitting.  But one of the greatest gifts, possibly the most tangible blessing in our lives, is that God has given us each other.  And when we have people in our lives who love us, who reflect love of Jesus back to us, then we don’t have to worry about what we will eat or what we will wear.  Because even though we don’t know what the future will bring, we know we are walking into that future together.

May God make us always grateful that we have each other.  And may God inspire each one of us to reach out to others, to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world.  We are the ones through whom God provides.

Amen.

Bob Vetrano, Celebration of Life

For Bob Vetrano
October 30, 2021
Westbury, NY
John 6:37-40

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.   

For those who don’t know me, my name is George Baum, and I am an Episcopal priest, living in Ohio.  And I’m also sort of still on the staff here at THE LIFE, as Content Editor and Social Media editor.  (You can’t get rid of me, just because I live two states away.)  I’ve known Pastor Vetrano and his family for . . . longer than I haven’t known them.  Pastor Justin and I are Godfathers to one another’s eldest children.  (I mean, like literal godfathers.)  And Pastor Vetrano asked me to say a few words this morning.  Now, I know you’ve already heard a lot of words today, so I am going to keep the emphasis on a few . . . words this morning.

So the first words I want to say are from the mouth of Jesus.  In the 6th chapter of John’s gospel, we read:

Jesus said to the people, “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day."

“This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”  This is my absolute favorite verse in the whole Bible.

I have told my family—and anyone else who will listen—that this is the gospel reading I want at my own funeral.  And then I want the preacher to come up, and read those words again:  “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” And then, I want the preacher to read the fist law of thermodynamics—about the conservation of energy—and then just sit back down.  That’s it.  I honestly think Bob Vetrano would get a kick out of that.  Because, just like Pop pop’s hideous shirt, it is subversive, and it is true.  But let me explain.

In a nutshell, the law of the conservation of energy states that energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed; they can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another.  You can turn matter into energy, and you can turn energy into matter, but you can never actually lose anything.  Anything in the entire universe.  Physical things can never be destroyed; they can only be changed, because they are part of this closed system of creation.  (And don’t even get me started on how every speck of zinc in your body was created in the aftermath of a supernova.)  Jesus said, “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”

Or, going back to the 3rd chapter of Genesis, you could think of it another way:  Out of dust we were formed, and to dust we shall return . . . until the last day when Jesus raises us back up, because Jesus loses nothing that belongs to him.

Yes, Bob Vetrano is lost to us—while we continue our earthly pilgrimage—but he never was, and is not now, lost to God.  Jesus does not lose what is his.  We are precious in his sight, and he holds us tightly throughout our lives, even when we don’t notice that we are being held.  Bob was given to Jesus in Baptism.  Just as you were given to God in your Baptism.  Jesus is holding onto Bob, and Jesus is holding onto you.

Jesus said, “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”  May we all trust in the promises of Jesus, and live our lives knowing that we too will be raised up on the last day.  Because we are precious in God’s sight, we belong to Jesus, and Jesus does not lose what is his.  Not even Pop pop's hideous shirt.  Nothing and no one is lost to Jesus.  Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Massillon Tigers Prayer Service

Tigers Prayer Service
October 23, 2021

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

So lately I’ve been reading a bunch of articles about the difference between transactional coaches and transformational coaches.  A transactional coach cares only about winning; a transformational coach cares about people, and inspires them to win.  A transactional coach might help you for a day; a transformational coach will help you for life.  This is important stuff, to be honest.  Especially because you are fortunate enough to have transformational coaches here in Massillon.  I want to read you something written by Coach Steve Weidl, because I think it applies to today’s game.

Transformational coaches not only look at the present, but they also make an emotional investment in young athletes’ long-term development. A transformational coach will aim to develop leaders who are not only good athletes, but also better people, and better ambassadors for the sport they participate in. They strive to inspire young athletes to achieve their goals and make them truly believe they can achieve anything they set their minds to. If a coach believes their only job is to make athletes strong and fast, they should think again. Coaches should also strive to build their athletes’ character, to help them improve as athletes and as human beings, because better people make better athletes. Teaching respect and discipline, and inspiring hope and self-confidence should be a priority for any coach.

I don’t want to take your focus off today’s game with all this talk about coaches.  But on the other hand, yes, I definitely do want to take your focus off today’s game.  Because your coaches at Washington High School care about who you are, and what kind of person you will become.  And because your coaches care so much about you as a person, that has an impact on everything you do, both on and off the field.

The UCLA Coach Red Sanders is quoted as saying, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.”  And, sure, that’s kind of funny.  But it’s not true.  Winning is not the only thing; it’s not even the most important thing.  No.  Being the best person you can be is the most important thing; that’s the only thing.  Learning to be yourself with the gifts you have been given.  To do the best you can to make this world a better place.  Your coaches spend their time and effort helping you become the best person you can be, because—as I have seen with my own eyes—you have transformational coaches.  Above everything else, they care about you as a person, they care about your future, and they care about teaching you to be true to yourself.

And so, as players on this Tigers football team, being your true selves on this day, in this game, in this year, that’s the thing that matters.  I know that your coaches support you today, and I know that you will support each other today, and I know for a fact that this entire city supports you all the way today.  And all of that is what truly matters.  It is my hope and prayer that each of you will see and know how important you are to this town, to this team, to your coaches, and to the world.

May God bless you this day and every day.  Amen.

The Marriage of Maureen and Stephen

The Marriage of Maureen and Stephen
Ecclesiastes 4:7-12
Magnificat
Song of Solomon 2:14-17
John 2:1-11

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

For the past couple years, church weddings have been kind of rare around here.  In fact, this is the first wedding I’ve ever done during a global pandemic.  But that’s not the most unusual thing about this wedding.  

Mo and Stephen originally wanted to get married on May 1st . . . because, you know, Beltane.  But then, decided to move it to today, the Feast Day of Hildegard of Bingen.  We had discussed using the optional version of the vows where they each would promise, “And thereto I plight thee my troth.”  The original descriptions of the participants in this wedding was . . . interesting.  Stephen asked if one of the readings could be from the book of Job!  And, let’s not forget the processional music from Star Wars.

And with all that is so unusual about this wedding, they went and picked the most obvious gospel reading possible: since this is a wedding, let’s have a story about a wedding.  That story you just heard is not one of the suggested readings for a wedding, so that is unusual.  That story doesn’t tell us about how two people are supposed to love each other, or tell us that they are a shining city on a hill, or that the two will become one.  That reading we just heard is more like a party trick that happens at a wedding.  It is a wedding reading in the same way that “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie.

Where is the love?  Where is the lifelong commitment?  In that story from the wedding at Cana, who exactly is getting married?  We don’t even know their names!  There is nothing in there about the couple getting married.  There’s just Jesus, and his mother Mary, and a couple of large containers of water that get turned into something else.  So . . . let’s talk about those containers of water.

When you think about it, turning water into wine isn’t that unusual.  I mean, wine is made of water, for the most part.  It’s not like Jesus took the water and turned it into a pick-up truck, or something.  But Jesus takes what is already there, ordinary water, and turns it into something magnificent.  In the presence of Jesus, plain old water is transformed into the best wine the people have ever tasted.  At the very time of the reception when people would be expecting the worst wine, they get the best wine imaginable.  Which is where we get the phrase, saving the best for last.

Which leads me to Maureen and Stephen.  Today, we have all gathered together to bear witness to the two of you being joined in Holy Matrimony.  Like those stone jars in the story, you have been filled to the brim with expectation, and we all wait with bated breath, wondering what Jesus will do on this wedding today.  As the jars were filled up with water, you have been filled up with love, waiting for this most blessed wedding day.  In joining together in the Holy Rite of Marriage, your love will be transformed into something even more beautiful: a blessing to all of us, and to the world, reminding us that in the presence of Jesus, what seems ordinary becomes extraordinary.  This is not an unusual day at all; no, this is an extraordinary day.  And we wish you every happiness, this day, and all the days to come.

Amen

The Burial of Anne Smith

Anne Smith, 3-11-21
Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 23
Revelation 21:2-7
John 11:21-27

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Anne Smith was always here for St. Timothy’s Church.  I’ve read the old Vestry minutes; I’ve heard the stories from parishioners; I’ve seen how we are one of the few parishes in the Diocese with a thriving ECW.  Not to mention our crackerjack Altar Guild!  All because Anne was here.  It’s hard to imagine where we’d be as a parish without Anne Smith.  Anne was here for St. Tim’s.  Anne was here.

In the gospel reading we just heard, Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother, Lazarus, would not have died.”  It’s quite a thing to say, isn’t it?  If you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.  It’s almost sort of a backhanded compliment, when you think about it.  Because it suggests that Jesus can prevent death . . . if only he had been there.  And then you end up thinking that the reason Lazarus died is because Jesus wasn’t there.  Jesus wasn’t there for Lazarus, and so he died.  This is completely not true.  But it makes sense to us.  At least sometimes.

Because we can’t help feeling the same way, right?  We can’t help thinking, If Jesus had been here, Anne would not have died.  And that walks us right into believing that, since Anne has died . . . well, Jesus wasn’t here for her.  Wasn’t here for us.

Jesus, if you had been here, our sister Anne would not have died.  We know that isn’t true; but, like Martha we can’t help but have the thought.  The thought that Jesus let us down.  But . . . Jesus was here, and Jesus is here, and Jesus will be here.  And people we love will still pass away.

Every year on Ash Wednesday, we remind ourselves that we are mortal.    We are dust, and to dust we shall return.  We remind ourselves that even though Jesus is here with us, we will still die.  All of us.  Maybe what Martha should have said was, Lord, if you had been here, my brother Lazarus would still have died.  Having Jesus present with us does not prevent death.  Jesus does not save us from death; Jesus saves us in death.

But . . . Jesus does not argue with Martha who has just lost her brother.  Just as Jesus does not argue with us as we mourn losing Anne.  Instead, Jesus says to Martha, “Your brother will rise again.”  Says to us, your sister will rise again, your mother will rise again, your grandmother and great grandmother will rise again.  Because death is not the last word.

Jesus also said to Martha:  “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.”  That is the promise to which we cling this day.  Though Anne has died, Jesus has not abandoned her.  And because of this, Anne will rise again.  We will rise again.  Because Jesus has not abandoned us.

St. Timothy’s is the church that it is today because Anne Smith loved this parish, and offered herself to us, in service and in leadership.  And we will be forever grateful for all she has done, and for all she has been, in this place, and in our lives.  And today, we hold to that promise from Jesus:  Our sister will rise again.

Amen.

Charlie and Jim, February 14, 2021

Charlie and Jim, 2-14-21 @ 2pm
Lepley & Company, Massillon Train Depot

Song of Solomon 2:10-13
John 15:9-14, 17

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

As we just heard, Jesus says, “This is my commandment: that you love one another.”  That’s it.  That’s the commandment.  Love one another.  (Send tweet!)

By now, we’re all familiar with the phrase, “Love is love.”  What we usually mean when we say, “Love is love,” is something like this:  Love does not distinguish between different kinds of people.  There are no races or genders or barriers when it comes to love.  And since the commandment of Jesus himself is to love one another, well, love is love.

However, on some level, the reason we are all here today is because some people don’t believe that.  Some people want to control love, or to prevent love.  But Jesus never says, “Do not love one another.”  He always calls us to love.

Now, in a bizarre turn of events, these two have already had their love blessed by the Church.  And, because everything is insane and backwards, I am here to ratify their relationship on behalf of the state of Ohio.

Crazy, right?  I guess as long as everyone has their certified documents stored in some filing cabinet at the courthouse over in Canton, then we can get around to celebrating what matters: Love.

The commandment of Jesus is that we love one another.  And I am honored to stand with you today in the name of love.  Because love is love, is love is love is love.  And love is good.  Jesus says so.

Amen.