August 10 – “Levi Jeremiah Humphries”

We visited Alaska last night.  Kind of.  We tuned in to the live stream of a church there in Anchorage.  It was the memorial service for little Levi Jeremiah Humphries.  Levi’s Mom and Dad, Lauren and Kenny, stumbled upon Seaside Church when they were living in Galveston a while back.  Lauren had been raised Episcopalian and Kenny was kind of a goofball, so we connected right away.  They became active at the church and in our home group.  I even baptized Lauren in a hot tub. 

As they grew in the Lord they became more and more interested in the foster care system.  They went through all the hoops necessary to be accepted, and a journey began for them that they embraced wholeheartedly.  In fact they had a heart for the youngsters who no one else wanted.  They welcomed into their home children with all sorts of major physical difficulties, as well as some with emotional issues.  And through it all, they loved those little ones with a Jesus-love. 

That self-giving loves eventually led to their adopting two precious little girls, then two equally precious little boys.  The boys were each kidney transplant patients. So the family spent innumerable nights at hospitals and doctor’s offices.  The boys thrived and did better than ever expected in the Humphries/Jesus environment.  Levi, however, had a multitude of health issues, and had been in palliative care for some time.  The family turned their move to Alaska to be missionaries into a once in a lifetime adventure through western United States and Canada. 

Levi lived and loved this life up until this past weekend when he leapt into living and loving the life he now has with Jesus.  The memorial service we watched was a tribute to the Lord who gifted Levi and the Humphries with a very special present – each other.  A kids’ book about a seed and a fox was read.  It taught that the Farmer (God) is with you, even when things get dark and confusing.  The testimonies honored Levi and his vigor for living.  The pastor shared a message from the Book of Romans.  Everything else was a true reflection of Levi’s personality.  The walls were decked with superheroes.  People wore superhero costumes.  Kids were welcome, and even provided with costumes if they didn’t have one.  Adults were issued Incredible Hulk masks.  Bounce houses were set up outside, and hot dogs and hamburgers were the cuisine of the day.  Now, that’s how to do a celebration of life, folks.

Thought I would close with the Pastoral Blessing from when Levi was dedicated to the Lord by Kenny and Lauren:

Levi Jeremiah,

That’s two powerful names you have there.

The word Levi actually comes from a Hebrew word that means to adhere, or to stick together!  That’s a pretty good place to start.  Stick together.

Levi was one of the sons of Israel, so that means an entire tribe of people were named after him!  And here’s something about that tribe: Once, when the Israelites were out of control in the wilderness, worshipping a calf they had made out of gold, then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.  (Ex 32:26).  For the Lord.

And by the way, Levi is another name for a guy named Matthew, a disciple and friend of Jesus.

As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector's booth; and He said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him (Matt 9:9).  Follow me. 

And Jeremiah.  Know what God said about him?  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).  And when the young man hesitated because he was, well, young, God said, “Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1:8).  Don’t be afraid.

And so, Levi Jeremiah,

May you, through the love and acceptance of your sisters and brother, learn the benefits of sticking together,

May you, through the integrity and patience of your Dad, grow to understand the peace that comes from choosing to follow Jesus in all you do,

And may you, through the stability and consistency of your Mommy’s love, learn that you never have to be afraid when you are connected to the love of God in Christ Jesus.

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

Father, may this prayer have truly come to fruition in Levi.  Welcome him into your arms.  Oh.  And would you give him a real superhero-ish hug from us, too?  Amen.