Written by Richelle Thompson
Ephesians 1:15 (NRSV) I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints.
If I hadn’t known him personally, I would think the stories were urban legends. In one account, Herbert Thompson, former bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, left the Archbishop of Canterbury waiting on an airport runway while he talked with an airline baggage carrier. In another, Bishop Thompson ignored the long reception line to crouch on his knees after worship, praying at eye level with a young boy.
Among the bishop’s closest friends was a custodian, a man who didn’t graduate from high school but could charm the most stubborn of machines and coax the finest finish from a plank of wood. Another confidant: Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu.
Bishop Thompson modeled a joyful faith and a graceful embrace of all people, regardless of their station in life, educational background, financial acumen, race, age, or gender. He took time to be truly present with each person he encountered, which wreaked havoc on schedules but shone Christ’s love from the heavens, a reminder that practice for saintly living begins here on earth.
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