The Church of the Redeemer, Baltimore MD
May 17, 2025
The Funeral of Kingsley Moore Mooney
Wisdom 3:1-5, 9
Psalm 23
Matthew 11:28-30
John 5:24-27
Sharing Joy
I want to begin by offering my condolences to all of you, to Kingsley’s family and her friends.
I know that so many people loved Kingsley, treasured her friendship, and are now still in shock and missing her dearly.
I also want to say thank you to the Rev. David Ware and to Bert Landman and everyone at Church of the Redeemer for their hospitality, kindness, and help.
This morning, it is good for us to be together here in this holy - and rather large - place.
A holy place large enough to welcome many of the people who are grieving, but nowhere near large enough to contain the love and support being showered upon Tom, the love and support being shared with this beautiful family.
Being at Redeemer, I’m also mindful that, it was next door in the chapel where Tom and Kingsley made some big promises to each other, nearly 35 years ago.
It was here, that they promised to have and to hold each other, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in heath, to love and cherish each other, forever.
And Tom and Kingsley spent the rest of their lives together embodying those promises, fulfilling those promises, in good times and not so good.
I’m guessing that most of you have at least attended an Episcopal wedding service.
So, you may remember that near the start of the service, the officiant reads to everyone the purposes of marriage: Marriage is intended by God for “mutual joy, for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God’s will, the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord.”
Beautiful, right?
But I think we often overlook the very first item on that list, the very first purpose of marriage:
“Mutual joy.”
Mutual joy.
For married people, joy – sharing joy with one another – that’s our first and most important task.
And sharing joy is not only the job of married people.
We are made for joy and so sharing joy with one another is a most important task for all of us.
Sharing joy.
And isn’t that exactly what Kingsley did throughout her life?
Sharing joy.
Joy, of course is much deeper, much richer, than just happiness, which sort of comes and goes.
Joy is contentment, confidence, and hope.
And joy requires effort, takes some hard work – like creating and offering beautiful holidays with family and friends, year after year, with a menu filled with all the dishes everyone has come to love and expect.
Joy requires effort, hard work – like giving countless hours, and deep commitment, and wise expertise to so many worthy causes, very much including our own preschool up at St. Thomas’.
Joy requires effort, hard work – like all those hours out in the garden, creating something beautiful for so many to enjoy, sharing the glory and hope of new and abundant life.
Joy requires effort, hard work – like raising a family built on the unshakeable foundations of love and trust and being a loyal and faithful friend to so many.
Sharing joy was a most important task for Kingsley, hard work that she made look so easy, hard work that she did so well for so many.
Sharing joy.
And now, Kingsley’s earthly journey of joy has come to an end.
And although her family and her many friends are still shocked and heartbroken, just beginning to figure out life without her, we trust that she has arrived at the perfect garden and the most abundant feast, experiencing joy forever with the God who dreamed her up in the first place and loved and sustained her throughout her life.
God will never let go of Kingsley.
And God will never let go of any of us, no matter what.
But for us, our journey continues.
So, maybe today, here in this holy place, we can make our own promise.
Following Kingsley’s example, maybe we can vow, each in our own way, to share joy, to share joy with family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and strangers.
Maybe we can promise to share joy, every day.
Amen.
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