January 11, 2003
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
We are here today to celebrate the life of Jon Soule, to mourn his death, and to tell three stories: Jon's story, our story, and God's story. And if we were to leave out any one of these stories, life would not make sense.
We all know a little bit about Jon's story. He was Bill and Bobbie's brother. He was a dear friend. He had been someone's loving partner. He was a parishioner of St. Jude's. He worked in the high tech field for a living but his vocation was being an organist. Most of us who are gathered here know him in that role as musician and organist. Jon was a quiet person and never liked to have a fanfare made over him. But once at the console, he was able to make such fanfare, such a song, such an offering to God, that it warmed the hearts of those who were blessed by his music.
Because we loved and lost Jon, his story becomes part of our story. The first time I met Jon was over four years ago when I came to this parish as rector. Jon was a bit shy at first. In order to break the ice, I would sit in the back of the sanctuary and listen to Jon practice on Thursday afternoons. When he would take a break, we would talk about music, upcoming events, and sometimes he would share a personal tidbit about his life. I would notice how frustrated he could become when playing our old, ailing organ, and I once asked him what he would like to do to make things better. He said that he was dreaming of the day when St. Jude's would replace the organ. He said he would make a significant contribution to this effort since playing the organ was his life.
Less than two years ago, over 120 people from this congregation generously gave of their money to purchase the new Allen Organ that is being played today. He told me that it was one of the happiest days of his life. Thank you all for giving him that wonderful gift. Not only has the new organ enhanced our music program, it also gave Jon a feeling of joy and a feeling that he was appreciated.
When I think of how Jon's story intersected with God's story, I recall today's reading from Corinthians. Each one of us has been given at least one gift by God. It is up to us to discover our gifts and to share them freely. Jon knew that he had the gift of music. He translated that gift into a love of music and freely shared this gift with anyone who would listen. He was always ready and willing to play one more service, one more offering of his gift to the glory of God. Jon began to hone his gift of music at the young age of 14, when he was offered his first position as organist at a small local church in Wyoming. He later trained under some very important organ teachers and continued his training by rehearsing every week of his life. Jon believed that music was one of the most effective ways to experience God. He carefully selected music that would allow peoples' hearts to open up to the presence of the Divine.
Now Jon is playing his music with all of the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. But I do not want to hurry over his death by simply mentioning a metaphor of afterlife. On December 21st, I received a phone call telling me about Jon's tragic death. My heart fell. I could not get the image out of my mind of Jon dying alone in a fire. But then, when I heard the autopsy report, I felt that there was a blessing in Jon's quick death. Jon was suffering from advanced stages of emphysema, heart disease, diabetes, and hearing loss. Instead of being disabled at the end, Jon went out on a high note. He had been practicing the day before for the Christmas services to come. This was a great time of year for him and he was filled with the Spirit.
"Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing through the night…" Thank you Jon for making the glory of God audible to the people of St. Jude's. Thank you for your gift of music. You filled a special place in the history and community of St. Jude's. You were part of the soul of this parish. May Jon's soul and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace.
| Updated 1/11/03 |
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