Tribute to Mary Peggins Parker

Funeral, Eulogy, and Memorial Talks

TRIBUTE TO MARY PEGGINS PARKER

[Talk given by John E. Enslen at Union Grove Baptist Church Greensboro, Alabama, on March 28, 1992.]

[Mary Peggins Parker was an African-American sister and convert to the Church of only three years. She endured a lengthy terminal illness before her death. Her funeral was conducted in the sanctuary of her former Baptist church, a common practice in the South where non-member family members are in charge of the funeral service. There were very few whites present for this service that was held in a black Baptist church located in the Black Belt of Alabama.

I was stake president at the time and visited the Greensboro Branch on occasion in fulfillment of my ecclesiastical duties. On a previous visit, I had given Sister Parker a blessing of comfort in preparation for death.

I was honored to be asked to speak at her funeral.]

Introduction

My Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am truly honored to be here today. I am thankful for the privilege of being in your presence on this sacred occasion. I have appreciated the beautiful music, a personal escort from a local policeman to the Parker residence, and the effort and sacrifices of those who made this church building available to us today. I appreciate that hymn “Amazing Grace.” I wonder how many of you know the origin of that wonderful hymn. The composer, John Newton, went through an agonizing period of repentance from his evil ways as a slave trader before writing that hymn.

I rejoice in the fact that Sister Parker and I shared together a common faith and membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I pray that the words I will speak will be a comfort to the family and friends of Sister Parker, and more especially to her children.

Three Attributes of Sister Parker

Some may wonder why my wife, our six children and I would alter our family vacation plans and drive 125 miles from Wetumpka, Alabama, to attend the funeral of someone I have known for only three years. The answer is very simple. You see, I love Sister Mary Parker. I told her so myself, and Sister Mary Parker loved me. She told me so herself. I suspect she probably told each of you that she loved you, too.

Sister Parker is one of my true heroes. I could say so many wonderful and praiseworthy things about her. I want to mention three things in particular, and then I will close by telling you some of her strongest beliefs about life and death.

1. First, if you ever had the choice experience of hearing Sister Parker offer a prayer, then you well know, as do I, that Sister Parker was very close to her Heavenly Father. She spoke to him as a revered and respected friend speaks to another, and the power of Heaven could be felt by those who listened to her prayers with their hearts. Her prayers followed a beautiful, simple pattern.

After addressing our father in heaven, she would express deep appreciation for the many blessings of life which she enjoyed. She could see through the adversities and find special gifts from God which she allowed to outweigh her problems. She no doubt had become acquainted with God in her extreme difficulties. Sister Parker knew that our characters cannot be strengthened in a life of ease and comfort any more than we can sharpen our hand tools on a piece of velvet. She consecrated or made sacred her afflictions for her own gain.

After an expression of appreciation for her blessings, she would then petition for her wants. More often than not, her requests centered on the needs of others, especially her family members. Personal concerns were rarely mentioned. Then, her prayers she closed in the name of Him whom she worshiped as her Lord and Savior, even Jesus Christ.

I have been taught, and my heart has been touched by the faithful and simple, though eloquent prayers softly uttered by Sister Parker.

2. Secondly, Sister Parker observed a very strict obedience to the commandments of God. After coming forth out of the waters of baptism about three years ago, she entered into a straight-and-narrow path from which she never deviated. She was exemplary in her conduct and in her service to others. She served faithfully as president of the Relief Society, our women’s auxiliary in the church. Last fall, that straight-and-narrow path took her to the House of the Lord, a dedicated temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Despite the swelling, and pain and discomfort incident to her physical condition, she could not be deterred from fulfilling her long-anticipated dream of attending the Atlanta Temple and receiving the highest ordinances and covenants of this earth that can only be received in the Temple. On her way to Atlanta, she stopped by my office in Wetumpka and I had the pleasure of hearing her speak privately for several minutes about cherished principals of life which had deep eternal significance to her.

Sister Mary Parker had an appointment with destiny, and she kept her appointment. Her determination to endure to the end with steadfastness in keeping the commandments of God has served as an inspiration to me, and I think also, to all who knew her.

3. Thirdly, Sister Parker was a wonderful lady of courage. For a long period of time, she bravely faced the death she knew was coming. Despite the trials, I never heard the first word of complaint or self pity. I distinctly recall an experience one Sunday a few months ago, when I visited our church meetings there on the Main Street in downtown Greensboro. I had an experience wherein I felt the purity and power of her spirit. Sister Parker kindly asked me if I would give her a priesthood blessing. Of course, I readily consented. She and I went behind a petition in our largest meeting room, where we could be in private to the extent reasonably possible. There were just the two of us.

In accordance with her faithful request, I laid my hands upon her head and waited for the spirit to bear witness of the blessing which the Lord would have me pronounce upon her head. The feelings and promptings were clear. As a mortal man, I would rather have chosen to bless my beloved sister with health and vigor and longevity. But the Lord in His infinite wisdom, had a better plan. I knew then, for a surety, that Sister Parker was just too good for this earth, that her mortal purpose had been fulfilled, and that her submissiveness to God’s will in that matter pleased him. As I continued with that blessing, I was impressed to feel that Sister Parker’s foremost concern, above all others, was the concern for the future of her children, especially her young men, Richard and Jimmy. The Lord promised her in that blessing that her children would be properly cared for and reared to honorable manhood. All of us here now, have the privilege of being instruments in the hands of the Lord in bringing to pass the fulfillment of that special promise. Sister Parker was a great protector and teacher of her children. She would have each of us to take a special interest in Richard and Jimmy.

I do not believe that anyone of us here will face death any more bravely and courageously than did Sister Mary Parker, and if we truly love her, then we will also love by our actions and deeds those whom she loved.

Sister Parker’s Beliefs

May I address some of Sister Parker’s beliefs? Sister Parker possessed a well-earned testimony of her eternal nature. I have heard her stand before a congregation and speak freely by the power of the Holy Ghost of things she knew to be true. I want to share with you today some of her strong beliefs, beliefs so strong that they would cause her to forsake old traditions, and even friends and family if necessary, to courageously follow after new truths that she had never before known. Were she allowed to speak to us today, I feel that she might share with you a portion of the knowledge she had gained regarding where she came from, why she was here on this earth, and where she would be going after death.

Where did Sister Mary Parker Come from?

Sister Parker’s existence did not begin with her birth here on earth. Just as the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4-5) As Jesus told Nicodemus: “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven…” (John 3:13) The Psalmist wrote: “Know ye that the Lord he is God. It is he that made us…” (Psalm 100:3) Luke also declared: “For in (God) we live, and move, and have our being; as certain…of (your) own pets have said, (w)e are…his offspring.” (Acts 17:28) Sister Parker is a daughter of God, and you and I are sons and daughters of the same Heavenly Father. In a real and literal sense, He is the Father of our spirits. We are his begotten spirit children. Our reference to one another as brothers and sisters is appropriate, because we are all children of our Heavenly Father. He is truly “our Father which art in Heaven.” As one of Sister Parker’s favorite hymns reads:

I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home,
With parents kind and dear.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him some day.

Why was Sister Mary Parker sent to this earth?

Sister Parker came to this earth for several reasons. One of those reasons was so that she could be tested, to see if she would use her God-given agency to choose good over evil. This earth was created as a testing place for mankind. At mortal birth we each became composed of two different, but united elements. One, a tabernacle of flesh which is a combination of the same elements that makes up the dust of the earth. Secondly, we are composed of a unique, eternal personality of spirit direct from the presence of our Father in Heaven. We each have the most noble origin and heritage.

Without the experience of mortality on this earth, our progress to becoming Christ-like would be halted. A spirit person cannot know physical pain. A spirit person cannot be baptized. A spirit person cannot marry and have children. A spirit person cannot have a perfect, immortal resurrected body of incorruptible flesh and bones without first taking on a physical, imperfect, corruptible mortal body of flesh and bones and blood.

In this mortal condition, we must learn to walk by faith. Therefore the knowledge of our pre-earth life is withheld from us at birth. It is like a veil over our pre-earth memory. This veil or curtain over our mind causes us to think of ourselves as nearly permanent human beings who occasionally have an eternal-type spiritual experience. In reality, we are eternal spiritual beings who are having a temporary human experience. We are here to walk by faith, to see if we will do all things whatsoever the Lord commandeth us. Jesus said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Said He also, “Why call ye me Lord, and do not the things that I say?”

Where has Sister Mary Parker Gone?

We know that death is a surety for all of us. No man escapes it. Death is an essential part of the process by which our minds and bodies become perfected. Death does not end our conscious existence, neither does it suspend it. Death is the reverse operation of birth. Our spirits depart from our mortal bodies of flesh. We read in Ecclesiastes about death: “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it,” (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

One of Sister Parker’s favorite scriptures is found in another testament of Jesus Christ, a companion scripture to the Bible known as the Book of Mormon. An ancient American prophet named Alma wrote: “Now, concerning the state of soul between death and resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.” (Alma 40:11-12)

After death, in the spirit world, we continue to work out our salvation, awaiting the universal resurrection of every man, occupying the spirit world in various states of happiness or misery, depending upon our earthly conduct, but still receiving the opportunity to learn, and progress, and grow. The spirit world is a place of waiting—we await the resurrection and judgment. It is a place of working—we continue to work out our own salvation through faith and repentance. It is a place of learning —we continue to learn gospel principles in the purest form, untainted by the doctrines of men. It is a place of rest—we are freed from the cares and sorrows and pains of this world. It is a place of joyous reunion—we are reunited with relatives and friends and ancestors who preceded us in death. It is a place of teaching—we continue to share with others the gospel truths that have been revealed to us. If we are aware that the spirit world is a real extension of our mortal existence, then we are less likely to set our hearts on the foolish treasures and vain things of this world.

By virtue of the courageous conduct undertaken by Sister Parker during her lifetime after receiving the true gospel of Jesus Christ, Sister Mary Peggins Parker bears testimony to you this day that God lives; that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior, the Redeemer and Mediator for all mankind, the Son of God; that we are each the literal offspring of God, his sons and daughters, his children; that life has divine purpose; that we shall be resurrected, the just and unjust, unto an immortal, eternal body, never again to taste death; that we can be joint heirs with Christ in celestial glory; that the true gospel of Jesus Christ and his Church is upon the earth today; that has been restored to this earth in our day by living prophets in preparation for the return of our savior, which glorious event should surely come to pass.

To these truths that served as guideposts and beacons of light in the life of Sister Parker, I add my testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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