MEMORIAL
SERVICE
District
2-X1 Convention
May
23, 2009
Lion
Dan Busdiecker, Lion Randy Rather Presiding
DAN: INTRODUCTION
For
everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time for war, and a time for peace.
CALL TO
WORSHIP
We gather here today to give thanks for these Lions who shared their lives with
us for a time. It is in their memory that we gather and for their lives
that we are thankful. Let us pray . . .
PRAYER
Eternal spirit, before whom generations rise and pass away, we find that even
in the face of death, our words can be those of thanksgiving.
We are
thankful for these brothers and sisters who shared themselves with us... for
whom love and family were so important.... whose lives were lived with vigor
and in service.
For the
struggles of life, and for the triumph of character over trial, of courage over
difficulty, of faith over sorrow, we give thanks.
Grant us such strength in the memory of our friends that we might be thankful
for the gift of life that is given to each of us, and in our hearts, may the
loss of these Lions be balanced by thanksgiving for the lives that were shared with
us. Amen.
RANDY: READINGS
Robert
Ingersoll, a great public speaker of the late 1800's, was asked to speak at the
graveside of a friend's young daughter. He spoke briefly, and with the greatest
words of comfort he could find. He said,
“Before
the sublime mystery of life and spirit, the mystery of infinite space and
endless time, we stand in reverent awe....
This much we know: we are at least one phase of the immortality of life.
“The
mighty stream of life flows on, and, in this mighty stream, we too flow
on...not lost...but each eternally significant.
For this I feel: The spirit never betrays the person who trusts it. Physical
life may be defeated but life goes on; character survives, goodness lives and
love is immortal.”
-Col Robert G. Ingersoll
As Lions,
we recognize that we come from many religious traditions, or no religious
tradition, but we are joined together by the spirit of service to our fellow
human beings. I tried to find some words of comfort and help from various
traditions and from secular writings.
First, we turn to Hebrew Scripture.
Almost
3000 years ago, The Psalmist wrote a few lines of poetry that have endured
through the ages. It is perhaps the best loved and most often repeated poem in
the Western World. It is used most often at a time like this for our comfort
and peace.
“The Lord
is my shepherd, I shall not want;
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For Thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou anointest my head with oil;
My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
-Psalm 23
I lift up
my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved,
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper,
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil, He will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and for evermore. -- Psalm 121
From the
Christian tradition, we find these words of Jesus, as recorded by John:
Let not
your hearts be troubled;
You
believe in God, Believe also in me.
In my father's house there are many mansions.
If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for
you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
will take you unto myself, that where I am you may be also.
I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.
-Gospel of John
This is a
Native American prayer of sorts. It is spoken by the one who has died. It
is entitled,
LIFE MUST
GO ON... a Navajo Prayer
Grieve for
me, for I would grieve for you.
Then brush away the sorrow and the tears
Life is not over, but begins anew,
with courage you must greet the coming years.
To live forever in the past is wrong;
can only cause you misery and pain.
Dwell not on memories overlong,
with others you must share and care again.
Reach out and comfort those who comfort you;
recall the years, but only for a while.
Nurse not your loneliness; but live again.
Forget not. Remember with a smile.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote these
words of poetry:
Sunset and
evening star, And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too
full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness or farewell, When I embark;
For tho'
from out our bourne of Time and Place
The
flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
And finally, these words of an
anonymous author:
Remember
Me:
To the living, I am gone.
To the sorrowful, I will never return.
To the angry, I was cheated,
But to the happy, I am at peace,
And to the faithful, I have never left.
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.
So as you stand upon a shore, gazing at a beautiful sea – remember me.
As you look in awe at a mighty forest and its grand majesty – remember me.
As you
look upon a flower and admire its simplicity – remember me.
Remember me in your heart, your thoughts,
and
your memories of the times we loved, the times we cried,
the times we fought, the times we
laughed.
For if you always think of me, I will have never gone.
MUSIC
DAN: MEDITATION
PRIDE
OF LIONS
Memorial
Service
District
2-X1 Convention
May 23, 2009
We
have paused today, in the midst of our Convention, away from the politics and
education, to remember this group of Lions who have passed away since the last
time we met in Convention. Our numbers have been depleted by these
losses.
In the wild, a family group of lions is called a “pride”. As I thought
and planned for this service, I realized that that expression is an appropriate
one for a gathering like this. A pride of Lions; the pride we have as
Lions; the pride we share as we remember those who have gone before us, and
have become a part of that greater Pride of Lions whom we no longer can see.
I have called the listing in the bulletin for today’s service, the listing of
those we honor today “Pride of Lions”. The “Roll Call” we will have in a
few moments, as we recall the names of each one honored, is called “Pride of
Lions”. Among other feelings we experience today as we remember, is the
feeling of “Pride”.
We feel pride in the heritage we share as Lions. As we gathered at the
International Convention of Lions Clubs in Chicago two years ago, we celebrated
the 90th Anniversary of our Association. It is a great
heritage that we share as Lions, and these whom we honor this morning are a
part of that heritage. They stand in the line which includes the likes of
Melvin Jones, Dr. W.P. Woods, and Helen Keller. They are one with those
who helped found the United Nations, who conceived of white canes for the
blind, who set up a camp for crippled children, in Kerrville, Texas. We
have a proud heritage, and it extends to the entire Pride of Lions.
We
feel pride, as well, in the work that we do. “We serve.” That is
more than a motto; it is a definition of who and what we are. We
serve. Whether it is school children who need glasses but cannot afford
them, or people suffering from River Blindness in remote areas of Africa and
Asia, or refugees who have lost their homes to the terrors of a tsunami, we
serve.
Lions
are known worldwide for their service to all those in need, not only the
blind. Our organization has grown from the 27 clubs who gathered in
Dallas’ Adolphus Hotel in 1917, to over 40,000 clubs in 200 countries and
over 1,400,000 members. Thousands of people around the world have been
given a new life because Lions provided guidance, love, and the material things
which they never had the thought of getting. We serve. Eyeglasses,
cataract operations, prostheses, scholarships, diabetic clinics, schools, homes
and hospitals are just a few of the things Lions have provided. We Serve, and those we honor today are a
part of that service.
Finally, we feel pride in the influence each of these Lions had upon us.
Whether we knew all of them or not, we would not be here if we did not know at
least one of them. None of them may be the one who sponsored us as new
Lions, but their example, their service, their love of country, family and
fellow human being, continue to inspire and influence us. The humbling
thing is to realize that even as they inspired us, so we, whether we intend to
or not, we inspire others. So let us have pride in the Lions who have
gone before, and let us take up their cause as we inspire others.
The Pride of Lions; we have much to be proud of, and much to be thankful for as
we remember these Lions whom we honor today.
MUSIC
ROLL CALL: Pride of Lions
Lion Elmer
Aamodt
Grand Prairie Host
Lion Robert Allen
Dallas Oak Cliff
Lion David
Bays
Mesquite Host
Lion Daryl
Belcher
Commerce
Lion Glenn
Callis
Richardson Host
Lion
Robert Clang
Commerce
PDG Lion
Rex Coppedge
Plano Early
Lion Roy Crownover
Waxahachie
Lion
Marion Fallen
Ennis Host
Lion
Raymond Fallen
Ennis Host
Lion
Eugene Gaither
Red Oak
PCS Lion
Wanda Gilmore
Greenville
Lion Bob
Greaves
Greenville
Lion
William Hocutt
Greenville
Lion Ed
King
Garland Host
Lion Paul McBurnett
Duncanville Noon
Lion Patsy
Moore
Irving Evening
Lion
Rowena May Peterie
Plano New Millenium
Lion
Virginia
Riley
Dallas Oak Cliff
Lion Ratilal Shah
Dallas Indian
Lion
Cullen
Smith
Quinlan
Lion David
Strom
Greenville
Lion John
Turner
Forney
Lion
Kermit John VanZant
Garland Host
MOMENT OF SILENCE
Closing Prayer and Benediction
This is a prayer is from the Native
American tradition:
“O Great
Spirit whose voice I hear in the winds and whose breath gives life to all
the world,
hear me. I am small and weak – I need your strength and wisdom. Let me
walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear
your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have
taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf
and rock. I seek strength not to be greater than my brother, but to fight
my greatest enemy, myself. Make me always ready to come to you with clean
hands and straight eyes, so when life fades as the fading sunset, my spirit may
come to you without shame.”
Eternal
God, let your presence rest upon us as we give thanks for the life of these
Lions. We thank you for the days of life that you gave to them. May
their memory live long among us and be a source of strength for us.
In the
midst of the loss we feel as we experience the death of those whom we love,
keep us in touch also with the memories which can sustain us. May we find the
courage to face the changes which life presents to us as we go on from here.
Give to
those who most deeply feel this loss the comfort of your presence, and enable
each of us to minister to those who mourn.
Oh Lord,
support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed and the fever of life is over, and our work is
done; then, in thy mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace
at the last.
Amen.