I’ve always known Howard as a faithful man of God. He displays the fruits of the spirit, which are a true testament to the depth of his discipleship. He has been gentle, gracious, kind, and abundantly generous.
And yet, even knowing that, I saw it all with new perspective as his nieces and nephew shared with me the other day. They reminisced about “Uncle Steve” and shared stories of ice cream with root beer on top, a shopping spree where Howard granted license to buy anything in the store. There were rides in the 53MG. Howard, or rather “Uncle Steve” was the cool uncle and clearly loved.
Ever since they shared their stories, I’ve been hearing the word “Indulgent” in my head. Howard was indulgent. He splurged for people. He and Rosemarie both loved kids and would take them out to have fun. Even stories of how slowly he ate made me see the richness in that habit—how Howard soaked in life one bite at a time.
Howard indulged in the good things in life—food, family, fun—the things that make life meaningful and fill memories with joy. And, I think, that too, is a testament to his faith. God, too, indulges in us. God splurges in love and kindness and generosity. We aren’t left with the bare minimum—only enough to get by. God goes over and above what is expected, over and above even what is reasonable. God’s love is abundant and generous and Howard’s faith made his life mirror that generosity.
Howard is easy to name as a mentor and role model. He lived the virtues worth having. He was clearly devoted to God, but not just God, but the people of God. He and Rosie gave so much to so many because they indulged—not for themselves, but for others, so they might have the good things of God in their lives. Howard lived confidently in Christ’s promise that we should have life and have it abundantly.
Often in grief, we focus on death and the after life—all that God promises to give us in the hereafter. And that’s a good thing. God has amazing things in store for us in heaven. But we also need to remember that God has blessings for us here on earth as well. The life eternal and abundant that Christ promises pertains to more than just life after death—it pertains to life now, and Howard is an amazing example of that. God gives us life through Christ and it is meant to be shared with others so that all might know the abundant love of God and the tremendous blessings of joy, love, compassion, fulfillment and of sharing each of those with others.
Today we honor and celebrate the life of an amazing man, who modeled his life after the most amazing man—Christ Jesus. We learn to love from both of them, and should be inspired to live Christ’s indulgent love in big ways and small ways in all our days to come.
Amen.
