A few years ago I wrote a post about funerals that is one of my personal favorites. I also got a lot of positive feedback about it at the time.
I was thinking about it on Monday when we had our first funeral at church since early 2019. We have only had two members die since then, one in late 2019 and one late last year. One opted for a funeral home funeral and the other had a private family service. (A digression: I am so grateful that God spared our church family the grief of having a death among our number amid all of the other sadnesses and stresses of the time of covid.)
This funeral was for a lovely 92-year-old lady. Her relatively large extended family was in attendance. Because she had been a shut in for a number of years, many members of the congregation didn't know her, so attendance from the congregation in general was not large.
But the headmaster made the decision to have the school children attend. They sang a hymn and participated in the service. Their presence and participation was such a blessing to the rest of us. It was good for us and it was good for them
The fear of death has been palpable for the past two years. It has been worn on people's unseen faces and hidden behind the closed doors of public places. It has caused rifts in families and churches. A good funeral has the antidote to that fear, and I am thankful that we were there for it.
