All Life is Precious - A memorial service for an adult male with Down Syndrome
On behalf of the Smith family, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for being here to remember the life of Larry Smith.
Psalm 121:1-8 (NIV)
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
We are here this afternoon to celebrate.
• We celebrate life.
• We celebrate love.
• We celebrate grace.
And we celebrate the fact that this body and mind that were once so restricted have been set free.
Paul mentions the idea that once the spirit departs the body, it can then return to the God who made it.
In the presence of God, I believe Larry is able to operate at a capacity unlike anything he has ever experienced here on this earth.
No more downs, no more pneumonia, no more mental, physical or emotional limitation. In God’s presence, what was true on this earth is no longer true.
Larry Smith is a new man. I want to talk to you about that today.
This memorial service is an opportunity for us to be reminded once again of the value of human life. We acknowledge the eternal nature of life.
And we give thanks to God for the blessing of life and the opportunity to know Larry as we did.
PRAYER
SONG
Life is a priceless and precious gift from God.
We recognize the value of life because we are created in the image of God.
One of the reasons we believe life is so precious, is because of its eternal nature.
The Bible tells us that life exists before we enter the material world.
Psalms 139:13-16 (NIV)
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
In beautiful language, David talks about life. He mentions three things, that are true or every person who was ever born.
1. God created me. That's true of David, Larry, you, me, everybody.
2. God saw me. "Your eyes saw my unformed body."
3. God planned my days.
At first glance it is probably hard to reconcile the image from Psalm 139, "that God knits us together in our mother’s womb" and the reality that some babies are born with any type of disability.
In a perfect world that wouldn’t happen. But it does happen. That’s because we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a fallen world that is far from perfect. But that does not change the fact that life is so very precious.
God invites us to view life as He views it: precious, bears the mark of His image, and it is eternal in nature.
That’s how the Smiths have viewed life.
As you know, Larry was born with Down’s Syndrome back in 1955. A lot has changed in the past 58 years.
When Larry was born there were no standard prenatal tests to determine a diagnosis of Down Syndrome before the child was born. In most cases, the realization that a child had Down Syndrome wouldn’t come until the time of their birth, like it did for Larry.
Larry's mother shared with me this week about the nurse making the announcement that her son had Down Syndrome. But that announcement changed nothing about the love of a mother for her son.
In preparing for this service, I ran across an article that ran in Christianity Today this past year. The title was “Children with Down Syndrome: Will Culture Make Them Disappear?”
In that article, writer Kelly Rosati stated that even though there have been “huge advances in improving quality of life—life expectancy has doubled from 25 to 55 years in the last 30 years due to medication, therapies, and specialized surgery—the population of those with Down Syndrome is barreling toward extinction.”
She went on to explain how a simple blood test can tell a woman whether or not her baby has one extra chromosome, thus differentiating a "perfect" child from a child with a life-altering disability.
The message from the article was the Down Syndrome would no longer be an issue, not because of medical progress or understanding, but because of the ability to diagnosis disability and eliminate it within the womb showing an absolute disregard for the value of all human life.
That was also the message behind a 2011 piece in the New York Post declared "The End of Down's Syndrome," noting that in their estimation, 92% of women who are told their child will have down syndrome will choose abortion.
I think their statistics are quite high and they are a very sad commentary on our nation as a whole.
I read about another couple from Oregon who received a $2.9 million settlement because their doctor failed to diagnose Down Syndrome during pregnancy.
The parents, through their lawyer, told the media that while they loved their little girl, they would have terminated the pregnancy had they known her diagnosis.
Sitting at Larry’s bedside this past Wednesday morning, a few minutes after Larry had passed away, I was so pleased to hear Betty and Betty talk about the value of Larry’s life.
Betty commented that even if she had known that he would be born with Down Syndrome, she would never have aborted him. The Smiths understand the value of God’s gift of life. Their love for God and their love for Larry caused them to choose a different path. I believe they chose the better path.
That does not mean it was easy, because raising even one special needs child is not easy. But the Smiths have risen to the challenge with such grace.
I am glad there are still those who won’t be content to live in a world where we try to weed out those with any perceived imperfection through abortion.
Those with Down Syndrome and other limitations face some unique challenges in life, and Larry’s were significant, but we must not fail to see the value of their precious life.
Larry has brought much joy to many people in his 58 years.
I have heard Betty tell about an incident when Larry was about 10 years old. He stood on top of an old drum or barrel and he was pretending to direct a choir of neighborhood kids.
He loved to stand on the pew and direct music at church from time to time while he was young.
It sure seemed like everyone loved Larry.
Larry was a participant in several events in the Special Olympics.
I have had the opportunity to attend the Special Olympics on a few occasions over the years.
I have noticed that even when a team or individual loses, the players all act the same.
They are out there giving each other big hugs and high fives as they celebrate the fact that they are simply able to compete.
They have a different understanding of life and I think there are some important lessons we can learn from those whose minds are not polluted with some of the things that might keep someone from being able to simply appreciate and enjoy the opportunity to play/compete.
A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all dealing with their own physical or mental disability, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash.
As the started fired the pistol into the air nine contestants took off, not exactly in a dash, but with great big smiles and a passion to participate.
It seemed like they all had a desire to run the race, a desire to finish, and a desire to win. That was true until one boy stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. Some of his opponents realized what had happened and they turned around and went back to aid their fallen friend.
One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down to kiss the boy who had fallen and said, "This will make it better." She kissed the boo boo then she and a friend linked arms the injured runner and the three of them walked together, arm in arm, to the finish line.
Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes.
People who were there are still telling the story. Chances are good you have heard that story somewhere along the way. It is a great story.
Sadly, children born with Down Syndrome and other disabilities have been ridiculed, and abused, and exterminated without much thought for decades. Even in this modern era, they bump up against our culture's notion of beauty, perfection, and normality.
I would suggest to you that our culture’s bias against people with disabilities reveals an inner defect, a sickness of the heart that is far worse than any physical or intellectual limitation.
I am convinced that one of the reasons Larry lived to be 58 is because of the love he was shown by his family. Love allowed him to thrive in ways that the doctors might not have expected. I believe that love is how he outlived his life expectancy.
Larry was born with Down Syndrome at a time when the accepted practice was to place the child in an institution to live out the less than 20-30 year life expectancy.
It was thought that families just weren’t equipped to deal with a special-needs child; that the child would be too disruptive and would destroy a normal family – putting undue strain on the marriage and on other siblings, if there were any.
Their speculation didn’t even allow for the possibility there could be another special needs child at home, like there was at the Smith household. It also did not take into account the love and commitment of two parents who were dedicated to raising their family to know and follow Christ.
We are here today to celebrate the life of Larry Smith, but that would not be possible without also celebrating the lives and the commitment of Bill and Betty Smith. They refused to treat Larry in the manner that might have been expected or recommended six decades ago.
If Larry had to be born with Down’s Syndrome, then he sure was blessed to be born to you. Somehow God was able to work a sad thing into a much better thing when Larry came into this world the son of Bill and Betty Smith.
Now 58 years later, after lots of highs and lows, ups and downs, we come to say good-bye to Larry.
Emotionally, we are conflicted. There is legitimate sorrow; but it is more than offset by the incredible joy at what we believe happened the moment Larry took his last breath here on this earth.
2 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV)
1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
After our earthly life has been completed, we get a new house to dwell in. This earthly tent is temporary. God has prepared for us an eternal home.
1 John 5:13
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Paul goes on to talk about being clothed with our heavenly dwelling,
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NIV)
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.
7 We live by faith, not by sight.
8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
In God’s plan, Larry has moved out of the temporary dwelling place he has occupied for six decades and now inhabits an immortal body that will suffer no more sickness, sadness, disease, down syndrome, nor more fear, no more loneliness, and no more pain.
It is a new day for Larry Smith.
John tells us the one of these days, There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
God will take away the old and make everything new. Aren’t you glad?
PRAYER
COMMITTAL
John 14:1-4 (NIV)
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
"Down Syndrome"
My face may be different
But my feelings the same
I laugh and I cry
And I take pride in my gains
I was sent here among you
To teach you to love
As God in heavens
Looks down from above
To Him I'm no different
His love knows no bounds
It's those here among you
In cities and towns
That judge me by standards
That man has imparted
But this family I've chosen
Has helped me get started
For I'm one of the children
So special and few
That came here to learn
The same lessons as you
That love is acceptance
It must come from the heart
We all have the same purpose
Though not the same start
The Lord gave me life
To live and embrace
And I'll do as you do
But at my own pace.
-Author: Unknown
1 Corinthians 15:51-58 NIV
[51] Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- [52] in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. [53] For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. [54] When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
[55] "Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
[56] The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[58] Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
CLOSING PRAYER
Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you; [25] the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; [26] the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."
