We gather today, to give thanks for the life of a very special person -Cliff Surko. Cliff is a beloved husband, father, and grand-father. He is a respected researcher, colleague, and mentor to many of you here today. He is a friend and a faithful member of this church. And these are just the bare bones of Cliff’s life! It often feels difficult, to try to put into words, the incredible and unique mystery of another person’s life. And yet, it’s so important we do so!! Cliff’s family and I will seek to share glimpses of the large and compassionate Spirit that was Cliff Surko.
There is so much to celebrate about Cliff - he lived a rich, full life, giving generously of himself, in so many areas. Cliff leaves a big hole in the hearts and lives of those around him. In later life, the great Indian leader, Mohandas Ghandi was given the title - Mahatma - which means “great Soul”. On a smaller scale, Cliff was such a great soul, because he touched the lives of so many, for the better. And although Cliff lived a fairly long life, of 83 years, it didn’t feel quite long enough… I am pretty sure Cliff would’ve liked more time! He had an abundant zest and energy for life - He worked right to the end! It’s hard to lose such a great soul! There’s a bitter-sweetness about this day… joy and thanksgiving for a life well-lived, and yet, grief and sorrow for the loss of Cliff’s presence.
But we do not mourn as those without Hope. Cliff himself, was a man of Faith - Faith in many aspects of life. He had faith in Love, especially for his wife Pam, and for his whole family. He had faith in Science, knowledge and learning. He had faith in Compassion for others, through activism and quiet acts of concern. And he had ultimate Faith in God and Life, as being worthwhile. Although we mourn, we mourn with a Hope that death is not the end for Cliff - or for any of us. This church symbolizes a place of hope, for a better world in this life, yes! And also a hope in a life beyond death. The Life of Christ points to the hope that although death and suffering are very real, one day we will be reunited with God, Creator.
Cliff believed in that Hope. I can’t even pretend to understand Cliff’sresearch in Physics - and I hope some of you here will enlighten me a bit later :-) But it seems that Cliff was interested in the particles and electrical energy, that make up the life of the cosmos. In my un-scientific brain, I translate, his work with protons and electrons, as eternal light or energy. I don’t know that’s true, but I sense it is :-) At some point, I learned humans are made of “stardust” - our bodies are mainly made up of elements of stars. And stars are lights! There is something really so much larger in this whole scheme of Life, than most of us can really grasp.
Often in church, we talk about God, Christ and the Holy Spirit as the Undivided Trinity, or the Holy One. It’s a way to try to point to the mystery of all that is. Here, we celebrate the resurrection of Christ to new life after death, by the lighting of this Paschal candle (these candles). We celebrate “the that Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it!” Light is the perfect symbol, or image, for our service ….because we are in the Church season of Epiphany, or Light. Epiphany can mean a sudden insight, or Wisdom. And Biblically, it’s a season of God being made manifest in the world - such as a bright star to guiding the wise men to the infant Christ, or other movements of the Holy Spirit.
Cliff was a man of Great Spirit. “Spirit” means many things… Spirit is often thought of as the breath that “in-spires” us. It can be seen as the Life force. Cliff’s son, Michael, writes that his Father had incredible energy and drive - Cliff’s Spirit was strong. The Spirit is also conceived of as the movement of God’s life-giving Spirit blowing in, and through the world - by thoughts, feelings, senses, interactions with others, and life experiences. Spirit is the mystery of what leads, or guides us, through life. It informs our character or actions. In ancient times, one understanding of Spirit, was called Sophia. Sophia is a Greek word for Wisdom. Wisdom was personfied as a feminine aspect of God.
Our reading from the book of the Wisdom of Solomon, is a beautiful passage, which describes Wisdom in multiple ways: intelligent, holy, clear, loving the good, steadfast, humane, and so on. Many of these attributes easily describe Cliff’s life. He had a lifelong relationship with Wisdom - from his early interest in Physics as child - to his life-long work, study and research. But Wisdom is more than knowledge alone. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King once said: “Intelligence plus character - that is the true goal of Education.”
And Cliff had character galore. His childhood, was not always easy. He had asthma as a child and was hospitalized for several months. His parents were older, and worked hard. Cliff was also very hard-working - as a fireman on the Southern Pacific Railroad in high school and college. And anyone who obtains a doctorate, has to have a lot of perseverance! BOTH Cliff and Pam, earned their doctorates in Physics at UC Berkeley, quite an achievment. Cliff and Pam were also activists during the 60’s in Berkeley - participating in demonstrations that sought to ensure freedom of speech and peaceful resolution to War.
But Cliff’s life and character weren’t formed in isolation. He was blessed to find a soul mate in Pam, to share his life and work with. And Cliff and Pam have two loving and accomplished children in Michael and Leslie. Their family circle grew wider, with the addition of a delighful son and daughters-in-law, as well as two beloved granddaughters! Cliff also made sure to stay in touch with his brother, 19 years older, throughout his life. Cliff was very much about Family. He cared about Pam’s career, and the couple took turns following, and living, where each other’s vocations took them….not an easy thing to do! They kept putting each other first, in in a True Love that shone bright to the end of Cliff’s life.
A remarkable thing about Cliff is, that right after his cancer diagnosis, Cliff wanted to make sure Pam would be okay, by moving them into a retirement home. It was a huge undertaking, to move from their home of 37 years, and also deal with the cancer and treatment! But Cliff was determined. With that same Spirit and perseverance he showed throughout his life, and with a lot of help from his children and their spouses, Cliff and Pam were able to move into Redwood Terrace Retirement home….only about a month before Cliff died!
Cliff showed exceptional character in other ways….He attended Trinity regularly, through thick and thin times. We had an interim for a year, whose sermons were a bit long-ish, to say it politely. Cliff would sometimes close his eyes for just a wee bit….But there he was, still faithfully showing up every Sunday, with that lovely smile on his face. He attended worship here, until only 2-3 weeks before he died. Always sitting right over there…most people did not even know he was ill. Many of us will miss him!
Cliff was a man of Wisdom, a man of Love, and also a man of Humility. He was a quiet, private person, who did not call attention to
himself, preferring to “DO”, rather than talk a lot. When he won the Maxwell Prize in Physics, he shared credit with his research team. He consistently valued collaboration and teamwork. I doubt many parishioners here, knew Cliff was a top notch Physics Researcher. And yet, they could clearly see Cliff’s Caring Spirit, shining in his quiet presence. Cliff used to ask about people, who he noticed missing for a few weeks. His family speaks how one of his last acts, was to work on funding for his fellow research assistants at UCSD, so they could complete their training, and project.
I’d like to close with the image of light. Cliff loved the outdoors all his life. He back-packed for many years, and gardened. In his
backpacking days, he must’ve spent many nights under the stars. The reading from Wisdom says, “Wisdom is the breath of the power of God, a pure emanation of the of the Glory of the Almighty….For She (Wisdom) is a reflection of eternal light, a mirror of the working of God. Cliff was such a mirror. He was a Conduit for God’s enduring love and light. We now entrust Cliff into that larger Light of Love, which passes all understanding. We rejoice in the enduring goodness of Cliff’s life, knowing the Love, with which he so generously gave to others, now Enfolds him forever.
Let us Pray: We thank you, O God, for the saints of all ages; for those who in times of darkness kept the lamp of faith burning; for the great souls who saw visions of larger truth and dared to declare it; for the multitude of quiet and gracious souls, whose presence has purified and sanctified the world; and for those known and loved by us - especially Cliff - who has passed from this earthly fellowship, into the fuller light of life with Thee. Amen.