Thomas Rowles Caldwell Funeral Sermon – 1 Peter 4:7-11 June 19th 2026 / The Strength that God Supplies

Thomas Rowles Caldwell funeral Sermon / Mount Olive Lutheran Church / Pr. Ted A. Giese / Friday June 19th 2026: Season of Pentecost / 1 Peter 4:7-11 “The Strength that God Supplies”

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight O Lord. Amen.

Grace peace and mercy to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Good Christian Friends of Tom Caldwell, in our Epistle Reading Saint Peter gives encouragement in the Christian faith; Peter provides a picture of Christian life lived out with others and what the Christian attitude in life looks like when it’s lived out in action regarding hospitality, stewardship of God’s gifts, in service to others. None of us follow all of this perfectly, for example some of us do grumble when we know we ought to show hospitality, that was not Tom. He was generous towards others both in spirit and in material needs. If Tom caught wind that someone needed something, Tom was quick to find a way to help.

Saint Paul in his letter to the Christians in Philippi gave similar advice when he wrote “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”[1] Those of us who knew Tom well have been on the receiving end of this kind of attention and care. A little while ago a member of ours, and a fellow friend of Tom’s, had some health problems that required rides to the hospital and some deliveries to the house and even just hanging out so they could take care of some basic needs. And while Tom was at the Pasqua Hospital — entering into what would becomes his last days on this side of eternity — Tom asked me how that other person, who he’d been helping, was doing, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”     

It’s safe to say that Tom was ambitious, wasn’t afraid of taking risks and displayed great ingenuity and as a result enjoyed some remarkable successes in his life and yet at the same time Tom didn’t come across as conceited or full of himself. He would tell you about the things he’d accomplished and it didn’t sound like bragging or competing because he was even more interested in your ambitions and successes, and depending on what those were—if it was something you were doing together— then Tom was on your team and very interested in your combined success. For those who have been granted this ability in their Christian life it is a remarkable gift[2] and with this gift the Christian is taught to “encourage one another and build one another up,”[3] that was Tom, “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Now men like Saint Paul and Saint Peter along with others wrote the Epistles as letters of encouragement and instruction in the Christian faith. These men would point out where you were off the rails and would encourage you in your Christian life. The backbone of all of this instruction and encouragement has always been the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We all need this sort of transformative encouragement and instruction in life. Sometimes it comes to us like oxygen because these ideas have been in the air of western culture. Even secular humanists and atheists benefit today from what you are able to read in Biblical Epistles like 1st Peter. That also goes for newcomers to Canada who may share completely different beliefs about practically everything. When they arrive they arrive to a land largely informed and built on the life of Jesus Christ and the call to follow Him.

In Tom’s baptism and his early faith life and in his ongoing engagement with fellow Christians through his life Tom didn’t arrive at his gifts of encouragement, generosity and hospitality by accident or by osmosis. The Tom you knew was fashioned by the Lord as an instrument for His purposes. The Lord used his mother and father to help in that work along the way. Now a hammer doesn’t have to be taught how to hammer, you just pick up the hammer and start hammering, but a person does need to be instructed, they need to hear and listen, they need to read and learn and that is what you find in the Epistles, these letters, found in Holy Scripture; you find an opportunity to grow and learn, to be taught by the Lord, to be fashioned into an instrument of God. In our Gospel Reading Jesus said “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,”[4] Tom was one who had an ear for his Shepherd’s voice. He took what he heard to heart and as a result his heart was open wide to you. Now many people are taught and fail to apply what they’ve been taught in their lives; some people are given advice and tuck it away rarely using it, if this has been you I have some recommendations for you. It’s never to late to ...  

        1) Read the letters of the Bible to get a good picture of what the Christian life in action looks like,

        2) Put what you read there into practice for the good of your neighbour and everyone who comes along your way,

        3) Remember who these teachings are founded on and grow in your relationship with Christ Jesus.

Dear ones make the most of the days you have been given, rise to the occasion whatever that occasion might be. Saint Peter in our epistle says, “Whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Tom certainly served others by “the strength that God [supplied]” But what is the source of that strength, what is the source of Tom’s strength? Saint Paul said, “I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”[5] Even when they are not thinking of it, it is Christ Jesus who strengthens the Christian, it is Christ Jesus who gave Tom his strength to endure and to carry on.

Now when Saint Paul says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,” Paul goes on with his encouragement saying “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, [Jesus] humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”[6] At his bedside while providing Tom with ‘the commendation of the dying’ I read to him and Jeanette the account of Jesus’ Good Friday crucifixion and death[7] and His Easter Sunday resurrection from the grave.[8] Jesus being God didn’t have to come to us in the flesh, He didn’t have to live a life of temptation and hardship, He didn’t have to face hostility and the brutalities of death, He didn’t have to hang naked nailed to the wooden beams of the cross, He was without sin as they drove the nails in, and in His dying breath the only sin Jesus had was yours and mine and Tom’s, Jesus took those sins upon Himself at the cross, He took those sins with Him to His grave and there they died and on that first Easter morning When Jesus walked living out of the grave your sins stayed behind. They remained dead; they pass away from us in the shed blood of Jesus, in His dying woe, and why?, because while Tom was very good at counting others more significant than himself; very good at looking not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others; Jesus was not just very good at this, Jesus was perfect at it, Jesus is perfect at it all. He did all of these things without sin. And in Him we now have our forgiveness.

Jesus, in His life death and resurrection; Jesus, in His ascension to God the Father’s right hand, does all that He does for your benefit, for my benefit, for Tom’s benefit. He cares about your ambitions and successes, He cares about your struggles and challenges, He cares about you failures and heartbreaks and He desires to walk with you through all of them as your Good Shepherd. Listen to His voice and follow Him. Tom had ears to hear, listen; the Lord is calling you by name. And as ones called to serve their neighbour in this life remember it is this very same Jesus who supplies the strength to do so, both to God’s eternal glory and to the good of those in any need in this life.

The Christian life is not only about arriving at your eternal rest in Christ; it is also about the life we live today as we await the resurrection of all flesh and the end of time, The Last Day and Christ’s return in glory. If you feel lost or without purpose, if the world seems meaningless and chaotic full of turmoil and darkness turn to Christ and you will find life and light, purpose and meaning, you will find peace in the chaos, a firm foundation from which to stand and reach out a hand to those in need: As the Lord has blessed you through Tom, so to bless others through Christ: do it with humour, do it with kindness, do it with love and compassion, do it with music, do it with a gentle and generous spirit of encouragement, however you are gifted to do it, be sure to do it, the world needs it, those close to you need it, Tom needed it, complete strangers need it. Amen.    

 Let us pray: Lord have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us, “take our minds and think through them, take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire; for the sake of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

[1] Philippians 2:3–4
[2] Romans 12:8
[3] 1 Thessalonians 5:11
[4] John 10:27
[5] Philippians 4:11–13
[6] Philippians 2:3–8
[7] Matthew 27:27-54
[8] John 20:1-18

Photo Credit: Main photo and other photos suplied by family, Pastor Ted Giese and Mount Olive Lutheran Church.