A long time St. Gabriel's parishioner, John Parkhurst, was buried today at the cemetery at Hillspeak in Eureka Springs. Per his wishes he was laid to rest in a simple pine box painted black. This faithful Anglican prayed the Daily Offices without fail with his wife Marge, who for many years made our altar linens and vestments. They were always faithful in their daily prayers. In fact, it was just after Morning Prayer on Father's Day that John passed into the loving arms of Jesus. The graveside service was simple, yet dignified. Not many peole were there. Something not everyone knows about John is that he served our country in time of war. Two wars really, both hot and Cold. During WWII, John served with the OSS (The Office of Strategic Services). The OSS was founded by order of President Roosevelt in 1942 by "Wild" Bill Donovan, the WWI veteran and Medal of Honor recipient. By 1947 it had become the C.I.A. He served in the C.I.A. during the Cold War. Most people don't know too much about this stuff, but I have always found it fascinating which makes a man like John Parkhurst a hero to me. So I witnessed the funeral of a hero. A simple plywood coffin with an American flag draped over it. The flag was folded by the funeral home official and given to the widow. It was a lovely service, but I must tell you that there was a part of me that wished that our government would have been there to honor John for his service. But when you die at 88, about all of your colleagues have gone before you. Even so, I can't help but think that there should have been a 21 gun salute with full military honors. Or whatever the equivalent is for former intelligence people.
So where am I going with this? Well it all reminded me of a story. Almost certainly apocryphal, but useful nonetheless. The story is told of an old missionary couple returning to the States after many years of thankless service in Africa. They happened to be on the same ship to New York as President Theodore Roosevelt, who was returning from a big game hunt in Africa. As the ship pulled past the Statue of Liberty and into the dock, huge crowds were gathered to welcome him home. The press was out in full force, and thousands of people had come to get a glimpse of the president. In the middle of the chaos, the aged missionary couple fought their way through the crowds with their large suitcases in tow. Silently they hailed a cab and made their way to a cheap hotel. The missionary sat on the bed and said to his wife, "It just doesn't seem right. We gave our lives to Christ to win souls for the Kingdom in Africa, and when we arrive home there is no one here to meet us. The president shoots a few animals and receives a royal welcome."
His wife sat beside him on the bed and said softly, "That's because we're not home yet, dear."
John didn't get the massive send off fit for a king or head of state. But in heaven he will be received as such. And it won't be because of his service to our country either. It will be because he has been a faithful follower of Jesus Christ for decade upon decade. He went home. He went home and received the "well done thou good and faithful servant" from his Master. I'm sure he was also greeted by an angelic chorus. Not many of the readers of this blog knew John. But his name was well known to the inhabitants of heaven and now they rejoice that they can finally say to him "welcome home"!
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