George Richard Savage, May 1, 1937-April 3, 2023

Order of Worship

Welcome & Gathering

Jesus said, I am the resurrection and I am life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.

Friends, we have gathered here to praise God and to witness to our faith as we celebrate the life of George Richard Savage. We come together in grief, acknowledging our human loss. May God grant us grace, that in pain we may find comfort, in sorrow….hope, in death….resurrection.

Added encouragement and

prayer.

Hymn, Surely the Presence of the Lord

Pastoral Prayer

O God, who gave us birth, you are ever more ready to hear than we are to pray. You know our needs before we ask, and our ignorance in asking. Give to us now your grace, that as we shrink before the mystery of death, we may see the light of eternity. Speak to us once more your solemn message of life and of death. Help us to live as those who are prepared to die. And when our days here are accomplished, enable us to die as those who go forth to live, so that living or dying, our life may be in you, and that nothing in life or in death will be able to separate us from your great love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Add prayer for Shirley, Shelley, Wendy. Their families. Grandchildren: Breanna, Emma, Blake, Joshua, and Jake

Siblings: Kenneth and Sue

Friends and other family

Amen.

Will you join me in the Lord’s prayer as you are able:

OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME. THY KINGDOM COME. THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD, AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US, AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE GLORY, FOR EVER AND EVER AMEN

Old Testament Reading

Psalm 23 (NKJV)

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in right paths For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Celebration of Life

Slideshow

Read Obit

George Richard Savage, age 85 passed away Monday April 3, 2023. He was born on May 1, 1937 in Marion, Louisiana to Ruth and Glynn Savage. He graduated from Farmerville High School in Louisiana and then studied at Northeast Louisiana State College and earned a Bachelor of Sciences in Geology. He later earned his master’s degree from Mississippi State University.

Richard attended the Officer Candidate School and graduated as a Lieutenant Junior Officer in the Navy. During his Navy career, 1960 – 1963, he served on the USS Charles Sperry, his pride and joy.

Richard married the love of his life Shirley Brown in 1966. They were married for 56 years and had 2 daughters and 5 grandchildren. He was in the oil and gas industry as a Geophysicist. His career took him around the world including Singapore and Saudi Arabia. He started his career with Exxon and worked with Plains Resources, Hunt Oil Company, and Saudi Aramco Oil Company. Outside of work he collected stamps, rugs and clocks. He enjoyed playing squash, racquetball and golf. He loved his grandchildren, dogs, country music and vintage cars.

Richard is survived by his wife Shirley Savage, daughter Shelley and fiancée Doyle Springer, daughter Wendy and husband Breck Grimmer, grandchildren Breanna, Emma, Blake, Joshua and Jake. Brother Kenneth and wife Jean Savage and Sister Sue Biglane.

Kenneth Savage, Ron Glash

New Testament Reading and Message

Matthew 22:37–40 NIV

37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Pray.

It has been a joy to get to know Richard through the family and to hear all God has blessed through his life over the years.

Married for 56 years, raised a beautiful family, served this country.

Richard was disciplined, active, even in his later years apparently walked the dogs like 5 times a day.

Richard was a good husband, dad, grandpa, brother, and friend. And as I was considering that, I thought, is that kind of boring to say.... He was good at all these things? Shouldnt their be something more poetic to say? Think about that though, draw a 360* circle of his life and he loved well in all these relationships.

In his work, and his time in the service, Richard travelled the world. This gave him a unique respect for other cultures.

One of Richard’s greatest gifts was his hospitality: Family describe his ability to make friends with someone in 5 seconds.

Today would have been his 86th birthday. On the anniversary of his birth, we must face the reality of his death. And that makes today difficult.

How do you sum up the life of Richard? Well unapolegtically simple: Richard loved people.

Love God, Love people

Our text today opens up an interaction with Jesus and some of the religious leaders about the bottom line of faith. Now as you may know, the gospels record some of the same stories with slightly different perspectives. Matthew gives very little detail. In Mark, there is more meat on the bone. We have more back and forth and it comes out of conversation. In our text it is just there for us to deal with. Reduced to the command to love God and love people.

What is happening here though, is the religious leaders are constantly testing Jesus. They are trying to see if he is really from God, many believe him to be a fraud, some are truly curious. Here they test him on the Old Testament and the law of Moses:

The rabbinic tradition counted 613 commandments in the Torah, 365 prohibitions, and 248 positive commands.

Which is the most important? In other words....What is the bottom line for how we are supposed to live? And Jesus responds:

Love God with everything

Love you neighbor

And if you can do that, The kingdom of Heaven is near.

Just a few things from this passage, and I believe a few things that reflect Richard’s life...

Moving from Religion to Relationship

In this moment, the religious leaders have the invitation to move from religious adherence to relationship

It is bigger than going to church, it is bigger than serving in that mission, it is bigger than being in a sunday school, it is bigger than cutting a check once a month, this might be about something more.... It is about a way of life. Not performance, but a mindset.

Hear this today: One draws near to the kingdom of God not with right answers or actions of religion but by drawing near to Jesus.

Loving God is not restrictive but abundant

Following Jesus, Loving God is not something to pile onto all the other things in this life. Loving God and receiving the love of God is what orders and brings color to everything else. If loving God and loving neighbor is burdensome then I suspect love is actually missing altogether. Which leads to the final piece:

Loved people Love

Our love is not self-originating. As we experience God’s love for us, we have an overflow of love for God and for others.

If the religious people knew who it was that he and others have been trying to trap in a lie.

If you knew today what Christ thinks of you.

“I am grateful I do not have to love—I have to allow love to love me into loving.”—E. Stanley Jones

Friends,

2 things can be true: we can grieve and have joy for our faith dictates that Richard received that eternal love in Jesus Christ. It is what enabled him to love and serve sacrificially. We do not mourn like those who have no hope, for the resurrection determines that Richard has been crowned in glory. Not because of a perfect life, a life without fault, or a life of activtivy, but a life crowned in glory because of Jesus and that love within him.

May we too, receive that love so that we might love God and neighbor too.

In the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Hymn: Precious Lord, Take my hand

You may be seated

Military Honors

Following this benediction, the family will be escorted out to prepare to go on to the receptionof which you are of course invited. They want to thank you for being here to support and to celebrate the life of George Richard Savage.

Benediction

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.