This homily was preached at the Burial Service for David Alexander Moore (September 23, 1943 – June 16, 2026) on July 16, 2026 by Fr. Daniel London at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA.
Readings for the Burial Service
- Lamentations 3:22-26; 31-33
- Psalm 23
- 1 John 3:1- 2
- John 10:11-16
This morning we gather to give thanks, to grieve, and to grasp ever more faithfully to the promise of the resurrection. We give thanks for the vibrant life of David Alexander Moore, friend, brother, uncle, and beloved child of God. David was also an entrepreneur, the celebrated “Mattress Man” of Moore’s Sleep World, Pinto racecar driver, and lifelong Episcopalian who worshipped right here at Christ Church ever since he was a young boy. His entire life was graced with the poetic prayers of our Prayer Book, the sacred beauty of this sanctuary, the centrality of Christ the Good Shepherd, and the treasured hymns that he sang as a member of our choir, including the classic hymn we just sang, “Amazing Grace”: When we’ve been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun [the righteous will shine like the sun], we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun. As we give thanks for David and as we grieve, we also trust that he is now shining like the sun and singing hymns of celestial praise that fill him with joy more ecstatic than we can even imagine.
God has revealed amazing grace to me through my friendship with David, who faithfully worshipped with us when I first arrived here eight years ago and who met with me seven months ago to plan this very service. The readings, the songs, the hymns, and the prayers were chosen by David as an offering to his Heavenly Father and as a gift to you, so please receive this gift from David. David understood that this memorial service is an Easter service, characterized by joy, finding its meaning in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We Christians believe that since Christ was raised from the dead, we too shall be raised. So, we have reason to rejoice as we celebrate David’s earthly life and give thanks because David has now entered new life – nearer to the warm embrace of our Good Shepherd and deeper into the Heart of Love.
Our Episcopal prayer book also explains that this joy does not make our grief unchristian or inappropriate. The love we have for David brings deep sorrow now that we are parted by death. Grief is an honorable emotion, an expression of how much we value this life. Jesus himself expressed grief in tears when he wept at the grave of his dear friend Lazarus, whom he knew would rise again. So, we give ourselves full permission to grieve for as much and for as long as we need, knowing there is no “correct” way to grieve. The way you grieve is the right way.
David’s name means “beloved” and I got to witness him live into the meaning of his name here at Christ Church, where he was dearly loved within this community and where he knew and felt that love. David also lived into his name “beloved” when he passed from this life into the next. He was surrounded by friends and family who loved and cherished him. We prayed the Litany at the Time of Death from the Prayer Book and then read the serene Psalm attributed to the biblical David, Psalm 23: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; and leads me beside still waters. He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over. Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” And then, the final words that David heard as his final sleep carried him into a new world of love were the words of a hymn based on Psalm 23, titled “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.” And it is this hymn that I invite you to sing with me now; and as I invite you to sing with me, I’m also inviting you to sing with David because we believe that we are joining the voices of angels and archangels and all the company of heaven who forever sing God’s praise. May this song be an expression of our gratitude for David, our grief for his passing, and our hope that we will see him again within the warm fold and restful embrace of the King of Love, Christ our Good Shepherd. Amen.
The King of love my shepherd is, / whose goodness faileth never
I nothing lack if I am his, / and he is mine forever
Where streams of living water flow, / my ransomed soul he leadeth;
And where the verdant pastures grow, / with food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed, / but yet in love he sought me;
And on his shoulder gently laid, / and home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death’s dark vale I fear no ill, / with thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still, / thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spreadst a table in my sight; / thy unction grace bestoweth;
and oh, what transport of delight / from thy pure chalice floweth!
And so through all the length of days, / thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise / within thy house forever.
DANIEL DeFOREST LONDON 