Eulogy of Mom

Patricia Thomas, Mom, was born to a father we affectionate called “Pappy” who built water towers and tanks for Chicago Bridge and Iron. Because of Pappy's work, his family moved every six weeks until high school where her mother Mary decided to settle in one spot for her and her brother Mike’s education. Moving so many times allowed my mother to meet all kinds of people as they stayed in trailer parks and other temporary housing. She met, gypsies, carnival folk, famous people before they were famous and had an adventurous childhood. Her mother Mary had to keep the family stable as they would setup and tear down from one place to another. She had to enroll the children in many schools and establish quickly some sort of stability before they moved again.

Patricia Got married in 1969 to Michael Hirvela and not long after they had discussed and agreed to Michael joining the Navy to help support the family. He would be assigned to many duty stations in his 24 year career. Patricia used the skills her mother used to enroll her children in school, establish stability, and engage in the community. 

As I was talking to my father about my mother, he told me that Meridian, Ms was the longest time of stability. Here she joined the family to a Southern Baptist congregation just outside the naval base gates. She was able stay for a while and so established some roots. Aside from Bible camp in Virginia, this was the only time I remember going to a church. After this I have no other recollection. You see, though mom had learned what she had from her mother, there was no solid foundation when it came to learning about faith.

Mother had to be a father, had to work, had to get away and it left her two children to their own devices. She had no solid foundation and her main support, my father was away working in the Navy. But I know she loved Jesus, she loved the book of Romans, but her foundational theology was as well traveled as her life was.

I say this because I have noticed that since my mother moved in with me, the community of believers at Moody Church, the teaching of Erwin Lutzer, her Sisters in Christ, whom she loved dearly, have had an impact on her. She was in a stable position and saw her change as she heard solid teaching. Jesus was sanctifying her. 

But my mother had a heart for homosexuals. She grew to love them through her career working as a counselor in the HIV/Aids field. This love for them, though she knew their lifestyle was sin, left her in a position of approval and an ally. She believed that it was not our place to judge, but only God would judge. She is right that God will judge.

Jesus is the righteous judge who will determine who is placed on the left and right. Those he places on his left are the wicked unbelievers who will be judged for their actions by law and be found guilty of their iniquity and cast into the eternal lake of fire, the second death along with Satan and his angels, hades and death itself. 

On the right are those who are the righteous, not by their deeds but by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. These are counted as righteous because the blood of Jesus covers them. They have been washed clean and stand on the righteousness of Jesus the Messiah.

For God was incarnated as human through Mary to live a perfect life so that through his death on a cross he would bear our sin, die with our sin, and three days later rise from the grave without our sin. 

Sin is within us all, from our hearts come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander. These are what defile a person. But God, because of His great love made a way through His Son Jesus the Christ to have mercy on all those He saves. For Jesus suffered the full Wrath of God which is what we deserve so that you may no longer be enemies of God, but be at peace with him and enjoy Him.

My mother on her death bed repented of her sin and put her trust in Jesus for her salvation. Her life was changed and she now sits in the heavenly places where Christ is free from pain, free from her ailments, free from worldly ideas and thoughts, free from sorrow, walking and rejoicing with her Savior. For Christ says, “All sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter.”

You can have that same hope, repent of your sin, trust Jesus with a your heart, body, mind, and strength, and follow Him.

Amen.