Mary Ann Shell

On behalf of the family I want to thank you for being here this afternoon as we celebrate the life of Mary Ann Shell. I am so thankful for Mary Ann and thank God for her.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25)

Prayer

It’s hard for me to think of Mary Ann and not to think of all she did for West Side. For years Mary Ann taught Sunday school. For many more years Mary Ann played the piano for this congregation. Not long after I started preaching Mary Ann talked to me about her wanting to retire from playing. Her arthritis was acting up and the medicine she was taking at the time was no longer working. Thankfully some new medications came along and she was able to continue playing. She has been a blessing to West Side.

Mary Ann was a friend to my mother. Shortly after moving to Elizabethton my mother joined a group of other women that included Betty and Jerri and Maxine. They got together for New Year’s and St. Patrick’s Day. They got together just to have fun. I know how much Mary Ann and those other women meant to my mother.

There are some people that you just know love God. I know Mary Ann loved God and it showed in her life.

And Mary Ann loved her family and there was nothing more she wanted than to know her family knew Jesus as Savior and Lord.

I want to read a psalm. When I asked Ann if Mary Anne might have had a favorite verse she’d like to have read Ann said she looked at several of her mother’s Bibles and they all looked the same, most of the Bible was marked in some way. It’s hard to decide what was her favorite verse or passage, but here’s the one selected. It is Psalm 121. It is a psalm that would have been sung by those traveling to Jerusalem. It’s called a Psalm of Ascent. It didn’t matter where you were traveling from to get to Jerusalem, as you approached Jerusalem you were going uphill – hence the name.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121)

Our help comes from God. Whatever we face God will be there to help us. You can imagine how this psalm would have brought comfort to those weary travelers just as I’m sure these words brought comfort to Mary Ann and can bring comfort to you.