Helen Harris (Aunt Helen) Funeral Message

Psalm 23.......

Today, we come to honor and remember the life of Helen Harris! I, as well as the family thank you for being here today.

My name is Rusty Burnham. I am the pastor at Friendship Freewill Baptist Church in Flomaton, AL, where here brother, Frank served as deacon, and also his wife Ann and some of her children Diane, Missy, and Tim still serve and attend. I got know Aunt Helen in 2009, when I preached her sister Thelma’s funeral. From that day forward I was tasked with preaching Aunt Helen’s funeral. From that point on but a great relationship grew. I began to refer to her as Aunt Helen.

So, with that, I would first like to say that it is an extreme honor to represent Aunt Helen and you the family here today!

Pray.........

Obituary for Helen Marie Harris

Mrs. Harris, age 82, a native of Flomaton, AL and a resident of Mobile, AL for many years, passed away May 26, 2021. She was a member of Providence Church of God, a proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Mrs. Harris was proceeded in death by her parents, Morgan and Azzie Richburg; husband, R. L. Harris; daughter, Renee Parent; brother, Frank Green; and three sisters, Thelma Deike, Hazel McLellan, and Faye Frost. She is survived by her sons, Alvin (Lesley) Parent, Donald Parent, and Morgan (Shirley) Parent; grandchildren, Deanna Richburg, Dr. Morgan Denise (Matthew) Ward, Dr. Shelly (Joel) Curtis, Todd (Jessica) Parent, and Matthew (Erin) Parent; great-grandchildren, Logan, Evan, and Brandon Harrison, Breckin and Sora Parent, and Beckett and Isla Curtis; brother, John (Sandra) Richburg; sister-in-law, Ann Green; Ray Clark, who is like a son; nieces and nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Many of you here more than likely have many fond memories of Aunt Helen. Today, as we gather to honor her memory and celebrate her home-going, I would like to use one of my mother’s favorite Scriptures to express the importance on remembering. Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

1. In this passage the apostle Paul is writing to teach us to dwell on the things that is excellent and things that cause you to praise. Thing that brings about joy!

a. Personally, I believe that is all found in the person and work of Jesus Christ!

b. However, I believe this passage also has a great sense of direction for us here today.......Dwelling on the good things! Losing a loved one is rather difficult, if we dwell on the negative. We can think about the illness or we can dwell on past problems that might or might not of been resolved. All of that will get us no where, let us today reverse that and dwell on the good things!

c. Maybe we can recall a few of those things today!

2. I remember after the Thelma’s funeral, going to Aunt Helen’s. She was the hostess with the mostest!!

a. It is been said that she loved to host gatherings, such as reunions, etc. She was ready for any visit, almost like she knew folks were coming. She was always prepared with coffee and other things.

b. One of the family members talked about her fingernails, they were always neatly manicured and she was always fixed and ready!

3. I heard about her great story telling, they said it was like you were there with her, as she was telling the story.

a. Bro Frank, has said she had a memory like an elephant. Which is perfect for story telling! Some, maybe, would probably wanted her to not remember some things! LOL!

4. She had such a vibrant personality! It was almost like a “don’t take no as an answer” personality! Her personality filled the room! She was the boss, that may have been self-proclaimed, but she was!

a. One beautiful virtuous characteristics of Aunt Helen was that she was there for her siblings, she was there for her family!

i. Bro Frank when he was in the hospital, went out to Texas for Thelma, and Louisiana for Faye! Always there for them!

b. People just loved her, because they knew she loved them!

5. Pete, her nephew, remarked yesterday, while battling cancer himself, that she was the matriarch of the family!

6. I remember every time we were together, she would give me a huge kiss on the cheek before we parted ways.

a. Out of all the gestures in the world that can be just a formality, this kiss from her was so genuine! It had value, a value that cannot be taken away by a negative thought. I will never forget that!

b. I knew very little about her and she knew very little about me, but that didn’t stop her from expressing a genuine love for me! I only hope that I returned it as special as she give it!

Song..........

One of the greatest memories I have of Aunt Helen, was a conversation I had with her just after she had got diagnosed with cancer. I came to the hospital to visit with her. She had a long road ahead of her, as most of you know!

This conversation had to do with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I remember when we started the conversation, that I was ready and prepared for one conversation and she threw me a curve-ball, to some degree.

It was a good curve-ball! We talked for a while, tears came to her eyes, mine as well.

She already had a relationship with Jesus Christ!

Longing for assurance, she found a forgiving Father through Jesus Christ and was established in the hope of ever being with the Lord!

1 John 4:9 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

Much like they way she treated people, God treats us, 1 John 4:19 “We love Him, because He first loved us.”

That was reassured and she went about her the rest of her journey with the confidence that we have in the person and the completed work of Jesus Christ!

This is a great hope for us now! This is what I believe, but it is also what Aunt Helen believed, even before I got there to talk with her!

This belief brings us to everlasting life with Jesus Christ!

John 11: 25-26 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

This our great truth for today!

Along with fond memories of her life, we can believe that Aunt Helen lives forever with Almighty God the Father and The Son of God Jesus Christ!

O, the sights her eyes are envisioning, the melodious songs her ears are hearing, and the glories that are revealed in her mind!

To powerful and wonderful to express with earthly language!

I would like to leave you with the 23rd Psalm and some commentary I read that goes with it and will help us today!

Psalm 23......

Most of us are aware that this psalm is read quite frequently in memorial settings. The use of the psalm is no accident, and neither is the frequent use due to habit. The psalmist has provided for us a word of hope that goes beyond the limits of life into the shadows which appear for every human being.

Assuming that David is the author of this masterpiece, one must consider the background he brought to his words. David was a mortal creature with joys and frustrations. He was a powerful person physically and politically. He was a king and a servant of God. He was also a man of confidence because he had allowed life to teach him well the lessons of faith. He not only had confidence in himself, but as a man of great faith he had tremendous confidence in God.

We can only speculate as to the immediate circumstances of this psalm. Whatever the immediate occasion it was one of those times when the very foundations of life seemed to be threatened. Yet the psalmist spoke with such assurance, an assurance for which most of us hunger.

Consider his carefully chosen description of death. Not a word was wasted as he pointed us to the only Source of confidence in those times. He spoke of death in several ways.

He talked of his “walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” The fact that he described the place as a valley is significant. Of all the possibilities of places, the psalmist selected the visual image of a valley. He did not describe death in terms of a violent sea, a stormy mountain, nor a lifeless desert. He painted the image of a valley, that area at the foot of a peaceful mountain. It is not far from the mountain where we can more easily envision the omnipotent God of peace.

The psalmist continued the sermon in his description of death as a shadow. The image he offered is such a powerful one. While others of his day spoke of the chambers of death or the gates of death, David became a pioneer as he defined the tense power of death by relegating it to only a shadow.

Do keep in mind that a shadow exists only as long as there is light to cast a shadow. The Lord was not only David’s Shepherd who supplied his wants but also the only Source of light. Regardless of its nature, death only temporarily stands in our light. The light is still there. A shadow is evidence of its existence. What a reassuring image of this force we seem to fear!

Yet, one of the most significant words in Psalm 23 is one that we frequently read past without giving much thought to the reassurance which is offered. The psalmist spoke of a walk through the valley. It is not a walk into the valley. It is not a walk in the valley. It is not even a walk around the valley. Instead, the journey is, through the valley. This image has to be one of the most powerful in all of Scripture.

The journey is temporary. The writer did not go into detail concerning time. The length of the walk becomes insignificant once the discovery is made that the journey is only temporary. We can persevere as long as we can see light at the end of the tunnel. That light is always there.

2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”

O, the glories that she is experiencing now! May we all strive to gather with her again at the great feasts of the saints of God through Jesus Christ!