Glory be to thee, O Lord.

Jesus said unto them, All that the Father giveth me shall
come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out.

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will,
but the will of him that sent me.

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all
which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but
should raise it up again at the last day.

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one
which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may
have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the
last day.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise be to thee, O Christ.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.

Jesus said unto them, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.
So our Lord spoke to the people gathered to hear Him preach. But how do I speak to you, who know William Oswald Hogarth as husband or father, as uncle or brother, as grandfather or great- grandfather, as friend or colleague ? How do I speak to you who are with me now to witness Dad's completion of his passage on earth? For me, as for each of you, Dad is a particular treasured person. Should I therefore tailor these words differently than I would, were he simply one of many parishioners? Should I be personal, recalling his impeccable good taste or his gentle affirmation of honor for Our Lord, for our Country, for his Family?

Or, given that you come here from many roots - from Dad's family, from his neighbors, from the golf club, from his military and scout affiliations, and from his myriad friends - coming from all these roots, do you expect the Deacon the Eucharist celebrating the life of William Hogarth to state the Faith of the Church objectively?

In fact, dear ones who grieve our loss of Dad's company, and his good humor and urbane wit, the Faith is one and the same, whether it be that of the Church in which he was raised and for which he served as a crucifer proudly bearing Christ's cross, or that of your Deacon, who just last Wednesday heard Dad affirm his love for his family, "and you, too, Davey."

The Faith of the Church must be one and the same as our personal Faith. There is no difference. Were Dad talking now, he would insist on that point and make sure that we focus on his love for our Lord and his family, for his Wife and other loved ones, just as he did in my last conversation with him.

The Church's faith is Dad's faith and our faith. We thus hark when our Lord says, "This is the will of him that sent me, that every one [including William Oswald Hogarth and all of us here to mark his passing] who sees Jesus Christ the Son and believes on him, may have everlasting life [and Jesus continues]: and I will raise him up at the last day."

So may it be for for all of us. Just as we grieve our loss of Dad's presence with us, so we take comfort in our Lord's unequivocal assertion, And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

On Wednesday we observe the Feast of All Saints. Their collect brings the gentle love of our Lord to Dad and to all of us today:
O Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord; Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love thee; through the same thy son Jesus Christ our Lord....

Godspeed, Dad; may you rest in peace in the victorious Body of Christ.

In the name of the +Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

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