There were four of us in the confirmation class at the Church of the Epiphany. The rector’s daughter, the associate rector’s son, Lloyd Kurtz, and me. The boys would go on to become acolytes. As acolytes, we had to light and snuff the candles, lead the processional carrying the cross, move the Bible following the reading of the old testament lesson, assist during communion, and lead the recessional at the end of the service.
Between moving-the-Bible and preparing for communion, there were about forty minutes when acolytes were not required in the service. One Sunday, rather than sit in place and listen to the prayers and the sermon, the other acolytes and I decided to sneak out the side door and go upstairs to the gym to shoot baskets. We were in the gym only about five minutes when John Rogers, the Seminarian assigned to our church, showed up.
“Hey guys, they can hear it in the sanctuary when you bounce the ball. Knock it off.”
“Maybe they’ll think it’s thunder,” Lloyd suggested.
“The seminarian grabbed the ball and walked to a spot about thirty feet from the basket. I’ll make a deal with you. If I make this shot, you must promise not to play during the service. If I miss, I’ll pretend I wasn’t here.”
“Deal!” we shouted in unison.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
1 Corinthians 12:4 (NIV)
Little did we know that the seminarian had the gift of shooting hoops. It was the most beautiful jump shot I had ever seen. The seminarian, it turned out, had been a starting forward for his college team. We kept our promise to avoid shooting hoops during the service.
A few years later, I attended a service at the Church of the Epiphany. Lloyd’s mother told me Lloyd had followed my lead and joined the Marines. He was killed in action. This and every Memorial Day, I remember my friend who, to borrow President Lincoln’s words, “Gave the last full measure of devotion.”
In memory of Lloyd Kurtz, a friend, an acolyte, a United States Marine
who was killed in action during the Vietnam War.
Blessings,
Don Sennott
Because He Loves Us Press 