Memorial Mass for John Edward Howard
February 15, 1946 – May 19, 2012
July 31, 2012 at five-thirty in the evening
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Manhattan, Kansas
Opening
and other words of welcome (before
Collect)
I am Resurrection and I am Life,
says the Lord. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live;
and whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. We have come here today
to remember before God our brother
John Howard, to give thanks for his
life, to commend him to
God our merciful redeemer and judge, and to comfort one another in our grief.
Welcome
to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
We
recognize that not everyone who has gathered here for this service is
Episcopal, not even Christian, perhaps.
The Howard family and the K-State community of the International Grains Program
wanted this memorial service to be set within the religious context that was
important to John. No matter where you
are on your faith journey, no matter your religious identity, we invite you to
participate in this service as you are able – singing, standing, kneeling,
praying, etc. - in order to honor John’s faith as a Christian and his
denominational identity as an Episcopalian as well as celebrate how both of these influenced his
life convictions.
Our
service consists of two main movements: the liturgy of the Word, in which we’ll hear and reflect primarily on
the Word of God (as read from sacred scripture) as well as some brief words of
remembrance about John’s life; and liturgy
of the table, in which we’ll celebrate Christ’s presence with John and with
us by sharing a Christ’s meal (the Lord’s Supper) together.
It is
church teaching that the Eucharistic meal – a.k.a. Holy Communion – is sacramental,
spiritual food to nourish those who have been baptized into the mystical body
of Christ. And, if any of you feel drawn
to this table/altar, even if you’re not intending to ‘receive’ this sacrament, we
invite you to join the family gathered here by coming forward to receive a
blessing (simply indicate your readiness for this by crossing your arms when
you come to the altar). And, regardless
of whether or not you come forward for Communion, you will be welcome to come
forward and make a symbolic offering at the table of remembrance [point to the special table with John’s
picture] while offering up a single word as prayer, either silently or
aloud.
After our
worship, everyone is invited to the reception in the parlor outside these doors
for additional fellowship and remembrances.
(continue
with Collect of the Day and liturgy of the Word)
Reflections on the Word of God
In the
readings we’ve just heard, we’re reminded of comforting truth that inspired and
motivated John Howard in his life.
The
steadfast love of our Lord, God, never ceases, and in fact, can be fresh and
new for us every day, like nourishing morning dew on our life as we awake each
day.
Even in
our times of trouble and grief, God walks with us, leading and inviting us
toward greener pastures.
We are
assured, and the faithful believe with hope, that ultimately, though earthy
portions of our body die and return to the earth from which it was created, our
spiritual bodies are imperishable and destined for resurrection and sharing in
glory with God and others who are raised into God’s family.
No
matter the troubles that John has seen in his earthly lifetime (and, we know he
did – he wasn’t perfect, just as none of us are perfect) – experiences
in Vietnam, professional conflicts and set-backs; personal struggles with family and friends, or his battles with cancer and Parkinson's - we remember today that he was a man of Christian faith and conviction… and knew
in his heart the call to humble confession and repentance, as well as we the
promises of forgiveness, reconciliation, healing and resurrection through grace in the
name of Jesus Christ.
As this
faith and hope buoyed John when the troubled waters of life seemed dark and
deep, let his example of faith and hope also invite us to new
relationships with each other and with God… and inspire us seek new light in
our lives through Christ.
His
life rooted firmly in Christian faith and conviction, John was inspired and
motivated to serve others, sometimes sacrificially, and to charitably plant and
cultivate seeds of opportunity for others.
In our
lesson from the Gospel according to John, Jesus says that “unless a grain of
wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it
dies, it bears much fruit.”
Certainly
these words describe our belief that through Jesus’s death, burial, and
resurrection the offering of a single life was glorified into new, redeemed
life for all. This is at the heart of
our Christian faith.
Through
this imagery of one grain having the potential to yield much fruit – a horticultural
truth known my most of us – we also see the power and potential of any of our individual
lives when we plant ourselves in fertile soil of healthy relationships and surrender
some of our own shell in order to give of ourselves sacrificially for the
benefit of others.
It’s my
understanding, as I’ve come to know about him through the testimony of others,
that John inwardly digested this spiritual truth about self-sacrifice/self-offering
yielding bounty for others and it influenced how he lived and lead others.
We now
invite some brief words of remembrance about John Howard from those who knew
him well. Listen for testament of the Holy
Spirit in John’s heart as well as evidences of his Christian faith and
convictions and what his life yielded for others.
(invite
those designated to come forward to the lectern)
(service
then continues with Nicene Creed and Prayers of the People)
Instructions
for the Symbolic Offerings and Words of Prayer (after Prayers of the People)
Having heard and
reflected on holy words, we’re now ready to transition to our sacramental meal
at the table… Christ’s table, around which he draws his followers so that he
can nourish and fortify them for work in his name.
It is tradition to
bring forward offerings at this point in the service. In the Christian tradition, these are
offerings of sacrifice (offering a faithful portion of what’s important or essential
to us, symbolic that all that we are and have come from and ultimately belong to God) as well as thanksgiving (joyfully and
generously presenting gifts of thanks for the grace of God so generously poured
out to us).
When money is
presented – Alms giving – it is used for charitable purposes for the benefit of
others. If you want to offer money, we
invite you to give generously to the scholarship fund that has been established
in John’s memory (see the back of your service bulletin).
Some of you may
feel moved right now to make another sort of offering – a prayer for John.
Here we have
assembled some symbols of his life [reference the four bowls of the different
grains from the department, etc.]. For
the next few minutes, we invite those who would like to to come forward, take a
handful of grain or some other offering from these two tables, and place it one
this common table of remembrance next to John’s picture.
And, as you do
this, say silently or out-loud one word that represents your prayer to God in
John’s memory. It might be a single word
of thanks, a word that describes something about John’s life for which you want
to give God thanks; or perhaps it will be a single word of grief, something you
need God to help you with in memory of John.
Whatever your offering, though it
is seen and might be heard by us, it is between you and God at this time.
Let us make our
offerings before we greet each other in peace and prepare for Holy Communion.
(wait a minute or
two after what might be the last person to come forward)
(continue with the
Peace and the liturgy of the table)
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