We gather today, to give thanks to God for the Life and Ministry of God s Faithful Servant Depart, Alton Paul Williams. Paul served as a Deacon in the Episcopal Church and as a Chaplain within the Masonic Order. Because of his ministry to others, he understood, as well as anyone, the meaning of servant leadership. When I think of Paul Williams here are some of the images that come to mind: He was one of the most faith-filled; Gospel sharing, fun-loving, loyal-to-the-church, straightforward and honest, living-with-christ-on-the-edge-of-life, Deacons I have ever known. To encounter Paul Williams was to encounter the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to live by Grace in an exhilarating and crazy reality, called the Kingdom of God. There was a letter written by Dean McDowell to Paul Williams during Epiphany, 2002. I quote. Almost eight years ago you walked into my office after a meeting with Bishop McNutt and inquired if the Cathedral could use a crusty but not rusty old Deacon. Before you could change your mind, I jumped at the opportunity. Your ministry in this parish has been more significant than you probably know. Your visits to shut-in persons each month were visits that were always welcomed. Not only did you bring the sacrament with you on those visits, but you also brought your warm personality and abiding sense of humor. In recognition of your wonderful ministry among us, I announce another kind of epiphany. From this day forward, your title and office in this Cathedral shall be Deacon Emeritis: We are just not going to let you go. You have served us well; you have served Christ and his Kingdom. Mac s letter said it all. What made Paul Williams so unique was that he lived the Gospel of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, fully and faithfully. There are some clergy, sitting here today, who are wearing the collar because of Paul s witness, his inspiration, and his mentoring. He was fully alive in Christ. Paul knew that there was a time and season to be serious and to engage the difficult work of ministry but he also knew that there was also a time to
have unconstrained fun. And Paul, celebrating his life in Jesus Christ, certainly knew how to have fun. Paul was a founding member of the Saint Luke s Poker Club. Paul, among others who are here today, took me under his wing and taught me everything I know about poker, including a little known fact that poker can only be properly played on an old woolen, Army blanket. He was good at poker and he enjoyed winning. The point of my sharing this with you is to say that Paul Williams knew that the morale of a parish was not just maintained by what happened on Sunday mornings; parish morale was maintained by the camaraderie and fellowship experienced throughout the entire week. And that was the genius behind the Williamsburg Dinner of which he and Fran played a huge role while he served Saint Luke s Parish in the 1970s. The magic of those dinners was the fellowship they inspired among the parishioners. Those dinners united the parish; everyone was involved. And did it ever occur to you that Paul even managed to get those dinners named after himself; Williams burg Dinners. Staying on this topic of Paul knowing how to have fun, he was fond of greeting the women of the Church after the service with a kiss. And Paul would never miss one of those breakfasts after the mid-week service held at the Cathedral. Paul knew that the breaking of the break was done at the Altar, but he also knew that it was important to break bread around the breakfast table with folk who shared the faith. Paul and Fran enjoyed the traveling opportunities provided by the Steeple People at Saint Luke s; they had traveled a great deal while he served in the Army and they continue to enjoy traveling and visiting new places long after his days in the Army.
Paul also played a mean game of pool, was passionate about golf and tennis, and he enjoyed bowling. He enjoyed the competition of those sports. He also enjoyed spectator sports and seldom missed the Penn State tailgates at the home of Rod and Bev Freshmen s. And we all know that if you mentioned anything negative about the Dallas Cowboys, Paul would let you know that you were walking on mighty thin ice. On numerous occasions Paul would jokingly remind us that he had won the Second World War by himself. But on a more serious note, having served in WW II and the Korean Conflict, reaching the rank of Lt. Col., and having been awarded two Bronze Stars, two Army Commendation medals and a Presidential Unit Citation, Paul valued and honored all those who serve in the Armed Forces of our nation and he attended many WWII reunions. How could you not love the guy? How could you not see Jesus Christ within him directing his life, leading him onward, lifting him up when he stumbled, and loving him to a fault. Paul was straight talking; he did not engage in disingenuous verbiage. Yet he was also a man without guile, and though forthright, he was never intentionally mean-spirited. Paul may have been salty, but he was also the salt of the earth. If you were ill, Paul would be there. No excuses. He would be there. Paul would be there and not just to offer small talk. He was a man of prayer who would share his faith with humor and love. And I remember well the days when Paul and Bishop Stevenson work long and hard to guide, encourage, and support the people of Saint Luke s during a very difficult time in their history. If you had doubts in terms of your faith, Paul would be there to listen and share his faith.
If you were facing difficult at times, Paul would be there to listen and to give advice. If you were absent from church for more than two weeks in a row, Paul Williams would call you on the phone and ask how you were doing. If you were a clergy person who thought you were God s gift to ministry, Paul would be glad to remind you of your shortcomings. If you took shortcuts, Paul would hold you accountable. If you neglected the ministry to the larger community, Paul would challenge your indifference. He, himself, traveled to Perry and to Mifflin Counties to butcher meat, meat that would benefit low income persons. But there is something that has challenged me and has left me unsettled about Paul, that I want to share with you today. It has to do Paul s spirituality. Paul was oddly different. Paul did not just talk about the Gospel; He embodied the Gospel. He believed the Gospel with all his heart..which is why perhaps, he would talk with Fran, his beloved wife, long after her death. You see, Bodily Resurrection was not a figment of the early Church s imagination for Paul Williams. It was a reality he experienced not only with Jesus, but with Fran. He lived the words of the Gospel read today. He often told me the Gospel passage that we read, was his favorite. Jesus said, Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God and also believe in me. I go to prepare a place for you that where I am, there you may be also. Paul knew that his Lord had indeed prepared a place for him. And Paul wasn t concerned about how it would happen or if it would happen or the way it would happen. Paul knew that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life.
Paul would occasionally preach the homily during the Burial Office when the faithful Departed was a beloved parishioner whom he knew well. He would always end his sermon by saying, May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. And may light perpetual shine upon him. (Making the sign of the cross),.i knew that Paul had already experienced the communion of saints: he had seen the company of heaven. He was not just saying words written for a liturgy. He was living a truth that he knew in his heart. I am sure this is why Paul requested that we sing today, When the saints Go Marching In. He knew the reality of the communion of saints. The Saints had already marched in to his life and he was ready to join the parade. This spirituality of Paul s, this spirituality that I am trying to address was revealed by the instructions he left pertaining to this service. He wrote: Hymn 482. "I think this hymn is more of a prayer than a hymn in that it ends with 'Give us your peace, Lord, at the end of the day.'" And I was told that he wanted the sermon today to be based on this hymn. His life was lived within an almost, monastic-like rhythm. And hymn 482 marks the rhythm-of-faith that he lived throughout his lifetime. Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy, whose trust, ever childlike, No cares could destroy, be there at our waking and give us we pray, your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day. For Paul, baptism into Christ marked the break of the day. And to wake up every morning
and thank God for the new day that would be lived in Christ, was the beginning of his journey into that sacred rhythm that would regulate his entire life. The hymn continues. Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith, Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe, be there at our labors and give us we pray, your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day. If there was ever an energizer bunny for ministry who had the strength to work late into the day, doing pastoral, administrative and community ministry, it was Paul. Paul was a deacon who simply did not quit. He prayed for, and was given, the strength he needed at the noon of his day. And the rhythm of faith and prayer goes on in this hymn. Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace, your hands swift to welcome your arms to embrace, Be there at our homing and give us we pray, your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day. Paul was part of that generation that lived the Great Depression and the Second War World. He was part of that generation that learned to sacrifice and encountered the costly price of sacrifice. So love sometimes was difficult to express, especially among the men of his generation. And though some might say Paul was stubborn and hard headed at times, I would say it a bit differently; I would say that he had seen enough hardship and suffering in his lifetime that he perhaps had become a little salty around the edges, strong willed, and clearly selfdifferentiated. But all of that was a consequence of living through some very difficult events in his lifetime. Had he not been strong willed, he would not have been able to
endure the difficulties of his life. But at the heart of it all, was love at the eve of his day. Paul loved his family dearly. He love Fran whom he affectionately referred to as mother and he loved Laurie and grieved their deaths. Clearly it was his faith, and the support of Shawn and her family and the support of friends, that gave him strength to go on during those difficult days. Paul loved Shawn, Ron, and his grandchildren, Nick, Jody, Jeff and Jeff s wife, Ashley. And Shawn reminded me that often Paul expressed his love through prayer. At his grandson s wedding reception, Paul prayed before the meal. His prayer seemed to go on and on then silence. The silence became somewhat awkward. Then Shawn prompted him with the closing words, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Upon which Paul told her, I m not finished yet, and he continued to pray. Paul loved the way he prayed,.his love, like his prayer, never ended. He took great interest in his grandchildren s lives and in their work. He would encourage them and would often talk shop and business with the boys and with a twinkle in his eye, was found of asking Jody if she was still selling drugs. He loved his great-grandchildren and all his extended family. To say that he was proud of them and loved them is an understatement. They were the joy of his life. And then we come to the last verse.. The verse that he experienced this past Saturday when he died. It is that rhythm of faith and prayer that are expressed by these words; Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm, whose voice is contentment, whose presence is Balm; Be there at our sleeping and give us we pray, your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day. At the end of the day, there was peace in his heart.
Shawn mentioned that Paul physically, slowly, just shut down. He had lived by faith; he die in the faith that he lived. The spiritual cycle of prayer expressed by hymn 482, allowed him to live his life immersed in God s Amazing Grace, it provided him Peace in his heart at the end of his day. I want to thank you, his family and friends, for your support and love that allowed Paul to live such a grace-filled and full life. Your help with transportation, your visits, and your love made all the difference during the last years of his life. Paul wanted you to know how much that meant to him. Paul Williams glorified God with every ounce of this strength and with every intention of his actions for some 90 years. Paul would say his life was his endeavor to Glorify God and to serve God s people faithfully. And so by addressing his ministry and celebrating his life in his homily, I too am trying to draw us back to the God Paul loved so dearly. This day, Paul is marching with the saints in a glorious parade, fully immersed in God s Amazing Grace. Paul, may your soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. And may light perpetual shine upon you. Amen.