I recently attended the funeral of a
dear saint in our church whom I also considered a friend. He led a
life pleasing to God and made an impact on his family, church and
community, even to foreign lands. The service was labeled, A
Celebration. And it truly was.
I have always found it interesting who
shows up at a viewing or funeral. Often it is people I know but I
didn't know they knew the deceased person. It is intriguing to note
how our lives touch other lives and we are all intertwined together
here on earth.
Somehow I always feel blessed at a
funeral! That sounds strange to some, but I guess it is how my mind
works. I sing the hymns that speak of heaven and being with Jesus
and I remember the sometimes long and painful journey of the deceased
and I know that that person is finally free from pain and enjoying
the wonders of heaven with Jesus. But it is more than that. I
believe it is the Spirit of God in my soul responding to the hymns,
and the living Word of God and the words of comfort in the message.
It is a time of rejoicing within my
heart for the plan of salvation whereby I have a hope of heaven. A
thankfulness to be part of the family of God. And also a
gratefulness that I responded to the Holy Spirit's call to be saved
over 51 years ago. I am so amazed at the awesomeness of our God who
knew we as mankind would need to be redeemed and that he had a plan from the
foundation of the world, that His Son, Jesus, would come to earth,
live a short 33 years and then die on a cross so that we all could
have our sins forgiven, we would become new creatures in Christ, and
we would have eternal life and the hope of heaven when we die. This
makes a funeral of a Christian a time of rejoicing. And my heart
responds to these thoughts as I sit in a “celebration” service.
We sang a number of contemporary
Christian songs which were favorites of the family. One song was,
“You 're a Good, Good Father” (Chris Tomlin) which is another of my favorites. It is a song of love back to Father God
thanking Him for being such a good father to us.
You're a Good Good Father
It's who you are, it's who you are,
it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's
who I am.
The Saints Sing Hallelujah was
sung with joy and exuberance as we realized that we are saints because of the shed blood of Jesus and we have every reason to sing
Hallelujah!
The Word of God is a living epistle as
Jesus said in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God.” So when scriptures
are read during a funeral, that Living Word connects with the Living
God, Jesus, living within our hearts and we rejoice! A few well
known verses include:
John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be
troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house
are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go
to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you
may be also.”
Psalm 23, “The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in
paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for
you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You
prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint
my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of
the Lord forever.”
I Thessalonians 4:13-14, “But we
do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are
asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For
since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through
Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”
Of course we are human and we grieve
for our lost loved one. But it is a grief with hope. Praise be to
God! We know we will see that person again in heaven if each of us
has prayed for forgiveness of our sins and asked Jesus to live in our
hearts. We are told in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who
rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” So we cry with those who
are grieving but we rejoice with them that their loved one is in
heaven!
At the end of the service we sang, It
Is Well With My Soul. What a glorious ending as nearly 300 people raised their voices in praise to God. It is such a comfort to
know that it is well between the Almighty God and we who have
accepted the free gift of salvation. It is a reminder or just a
glimpse of what it will be like some day when all the saints will be
in heaven, singing around the throne of God, and we will be able to
praise our Redeemer like never before.
I will never forget the funeral of a
dear saint in Virginia over 40 years ago. The widow asked my friend
and I to sing, Then Sings My Soul. When we sang this third
verse, she burst out in shouts of praise, because she knew that Jesus
had come to take her husband home to heaven.
When Christ shall come with shout of
acclamation and lead me home,
what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow with humble
adoration And then proclaim, my God,
How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to
Thee,
How Great Thou Art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to
Thee,
How Great Thou Art, how great Thou art.
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