Walter Harris
In his book, “The Case for Christ,” Lee Strobel tells of interviewing Professor of Theology and Philosophy Gary Habermas. He asked about the importance of the resurrection for Christians. Professor Habermas began answering the question theologically, but then turned reflective as he began to speak of the death of his wife Debbie in 1995 of stomach cancer. He said one afternoon he sat on his porch looking off to the side at nothing in particular. His wife was upstairs dying and except for a few weeks, she had been home through it all. It was an awful time and the worst thing that could possibly happen. He then turned and looked at Lee and said, “But do you know what was amazing? My students would call me and say, ‘At a time like this, aren’t you glad about the resurrection?’ As sober as those circumstances were, I had to smile for two reasons. First, my students were trying to cheer me up with my own teaching and second, it worked!” As he sat on the porch, he’d picture Job who went through all of that terrible stuff and asked questions of God, but then God turned the tables and asked him a few questions. “I knew if God were to come to me, I’d only ask one question: ‘Lord, why is Debbie up there in bed dying?’ And I think God would respond by asking gently, ‘Gary, did I raise my Son from the dead?’ And I’d say, ‘Come on Lord, I’ve written seven books on the topic! Of course I know he was raised from the dead! But I want to know about Debbie!’ I think God would keep coming back to the same question: ‘Did I raise my Son from the dead?’ until I got the point.
And then he said, “The resurrection says that if Jesus was raised 2000 years ago, there’s an answer to Debbie’s death in 1995. And do you know what? If the resurrection would get me through that, it can get me through anything. It was good for AD 30 and it’s good for 1995 and it’s good beyond that….I believe that with all my heart. If there’s a resurrection, there’s a heaven. If Jesus was raised, Debbie was raised. And I will be someday too. Then I’ll see them both.”
We are here today because of love: our love for Walter Harris and God’s love for him and us as evidenced in the gift of resurrection. It’s because we love people so deeply that their absence makes us hurt so much. Death is something that separates us and when we are separated from someone we love, we feel as though a part of us has been cut off. But while death does separate us from those we love, Scripture tells us that there is one thing from which death can never separate us, and that is the love of God. Romans 8:38 says, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
What kind of love is the love of God? Well, to begin with, it is a love that seeks. We may not like the comparison but Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way.” That means we are prone to wander. Psalm 23 speaks of God as the Good Shepherd and Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep" (John 10:14-15). Jesus describes both God and himself as one who knows his flock and whose flock knows him and his voice. Jesus goes on to tell the Parable of Lost Sheep and the lesson is that the shepherd didn’t wait for the lost sheep to wander home. He wasn’t passive but actively went out seeking the lost sheep. He searches everywhere and goes to the greatest length to find the lost sheep, even at the risk of great personal danger and harm. And he doesn’t return home until he is found. And just to prove His point, Jesus goes to the cross to save you and me. And then Jesus says, “I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish.” We have a God who is in the business of seeking the lost. In fact, that’s why he sent His son. God has a passion and joy for seeking and finding that which is the lost, his sheep, you and me. That’s His love for us.
God’s love not only seeks, it also saves. Jesus said of himself, “The Son of Man has come to seek and save that which is lost.” A saving love, not only accepts us as we are but also seeks to bring out the best is each person it meets. Saving love wants to make like better for those to whom it is directed. God loves us as we are but he loves us too much to leave us in our own ways. His saving love seeks us, saves us, transforms us and then is lived out through us as we become people who become like Jesus and reflect His love, care and concern for a needy world.
We’re here today because of our love for Walter and because of God’s love for us as evidenced in the resurrection. But we are also here because of God’s love in Walter which has been shared with us. Walter was a sheep in Jesus’ fold and knew the Shepherd’s voice all of his life. And it was the love of Shepherd for him and for all of his sheep which marked and guided Walter’s life throughout all of his years as he loved us like the Shepherd loves us. Walter’s love for Christ and the love of Christ was evident in three things: the priorities of his life.
First was his love for God. A lifelong Methodist, Walter was not just someone who went through the motions of the faith and attending worship. Jesus wasn’t just a part of his life, He was his life and it guided everything he did and everything he said and we have been blessed because of that. He always was in worship, always led prayer before dinner, like his father and grandfather before him, and always leaned into and relied upon his faith, no matter what he faced. His faith was evident to the very end because even as he faced death, he was never scared or worried. He knew the Shepherd’s voice and he knew that the Shepherd gives eternal life and thus Walter knew The Shepherd’s sheep will never perish. I believe that one of the greatest witnesses of a person’s death is not only how they live, but also how they die. And Walter’s faith made all the difference as he faced death and to those around him were able to witness his faith and see the assurance, comfort, hope and strength it brought.
Second was Walter’s love for Hulda, Dubby and Jayme, and his five grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He was a devoted and loving husband and father. Walter and Hulda met, where else but in Sunday School at the age of 12 at Carrollton Methodist Church. And even though they were in different Sunday School classes, (they separated boys and girls back then) they kept looking at each other. And little did they know, they would keep looking at each other for the next 70 years. They dated all through school, Hulda received his Kappa Sig ring (which was a no no because that meant you were really hooked, which apparently they were), got married and eventually celebrated 61 years of marriage together last year. Dubby was born in 1956 and Jayme the year after and suddenly a family was formed. Walter was a devoted husband and an awesome father and grandfather. He loved getting out in the yard and playing with the kids. Whatever season it was, that was the sport being played with Walter right in the middle of it: football, basketball, baseball and even track with hurdles and all (I’m still trying to imagine that one in my mind!) He loved fishing and shrimping and boating. He loved Mardi Gras, sometimes catching the parade twice on it’s route or driving madly to catch a second parade out in Metairie the moment the Uptown parade passed them by. He loved going over to Bay St. Louis, going to Tulane games (Roll Wave!) even getting a chance last year to attend a game in the new stadium on campus. And of course there were the summer trips to Destin and the obligatory nighttime treasure hunt with authentic map and Walter as Peg like Pete leading the way. They would inevitably pick up kids along the hunt who would join right in. They grilled at the beach, walked to the jetties and enjoyed the beautiful sunsets and tasty Margarita’s. Can you say Margarita’s in a eulogy? There were the Easter egg parties, the dog reunions, the walks on the levy and the citrus and fig trees he loved so much. And as much as he loved these things, he loved his family and doing these things with them. Walter just loved when all of the family was together at his house, affectionately known as the Harris Hilton. His family were the center of his life. And in so many ways, he was the model father and grandfather.
But we are also here because of the third love of Walter’s life and that’s his love and concern for others. He was genuine and kind and a good friend to all. This was as much an expression of his faith as everything else in his life. I think the best evidence of this are the comments shared on the guestbook on line.
- Walter was always kind and loving, a true friend
- Mr. Walter has had a major impact on my family and specifically my life. He was like an uncle to me and my brothers… What I learned most from Mr. Walter is the joy of life
- Walter was one of the finest gentlemen I have had the privilege to know. His pure heart and sincere demeanor made him a friend to those fortunate enough to know him. He was a role model and mentor after my father's death and constantly encouraged me as a young man –
- He had an impact on my life, teaching me how to be a gentleman, how to love a family, and how to be a man
- Your Dad was one of the finest and kindest role models I have ever known
They say the impact of a life is measured by the lives you’ve touched. Walter left a wide wake with his life and impacted many as he lived out his faith. And for that we are grateful.
Tom Junod writes about the retirement of Mr. Rogers and the night he received the Emmy's Lifetime Achievement Award. As he went up on stage to accept the Award, in front of all the TV stars and talk-show hosts, with their tans and over the top dresses and tuxes, he stepped to the microphone made a small bow and said, "All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are, those who have cared about you and wanted what’s best for you in life….Ten seconds of silence." And then he lifted his wrist, and looked at the audience, and looked at his watch, and said softly, "I'll watch the time," and there was, at first, a small whoop from the crowd, a giddy, strangled hiccup of laughter, as people realized that he wasn't kidding, that Mister Rogers was a man, an authority figure who actually expected them to do what he asked…and so they did. One second, two seconds, three seconds…and now the jaws clenched, and the bosoms heaved, and the mascara ran, and the tears fell upon the beglittered gathering like rain leaking down a crystal chandelier, and Mister Rogers finally looked up from his watch and said, "Whomever you have been thinking about, how pleased they must be to know the difference you feel they’ve made…May God be with you" and he left the stage.
Walter’s life gives testimony and witness to what is truly important in this life. We are thankful for what we have received, to know that life and faith is about loving those closest to us as we have been loved by God, to bless others and to love our families. And so as we are surrounded by his love for us today and the love of God. May we be thankful for the time we hd with Walter, the impact he had on our lives and the lessons, the memories and that of a Walter which we carry with us this day forward. Now is a time to give thanks for Walter, all that he did for us and how he touched and blessed our lives, making us who we are today.
May we take a moment now to bow our heads, close our eyes and give thanks to the life which has been shared with us….
May God be with you, bless you and keep you even unto these days and always.
Amen
