In the last 8 days I’ve been to two funerals and both of them were uplifting experiences. Both were true celebrations of the long life of a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. And both affirmed what we believe as Christians – that the end of our time here on earth is not the end of our life, but merely a transition to our eternal home in heaven.
One of the things I enjoy about funerals – if I may use the word ‘enjoy’ in this context – is getting a fuller picture of the person whose life we are commemorating, especially for those who we’ve only known in later life, such as many of our friends here in Devon. It is amazing to hear of the adventures and careers of folk who we have only seen as frail and elderly in the latter stages of their earthly life. However, at last week’s funeral the deceased had left strict instructions that they didn’t want a eulogy! This was because they viewed them as being biased – biased towards telling the congregation about only the good qualities of the deceased. Such was the modesty of the old lady concerned. We were left to fill out the whole life picture of her through the many photographs displayed at the wake and a crossword puzzle printed inside the back cover of the order of service – I kid you not – which used only words of relevance to the varied aspects of her life.
The choice of hymns is also interesting. I’ve been to a number of funerals now where there have been five hymns such is the importance of music to many people’s lives. At last week’s funeral there would have been six but, as the vicar said of her favourite hymn, singing ‘In the bleak midwinter’ in a summer heatwave didn’t really work, so the organist played it immediately before the service began. But the sermon picked up on the gospel message contained within Christina Rosetti’s great words:
Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign
In the bleak midwinter, a stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ
Hymns can so often capture our faith where we struggle to find the right words ourselves, and they can become vehicles for sharing that faith when others see how meaningful they were to us.
Of course the Bible readings chosen also tell us something about the individual including about their understanding of God. Today’s reading centred on this verse from the first chapter of 2 Timothy: “God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control”. The person we celebrated today knew God as the daily source of the power she needed to do whatever he asked of her, especially when it came to loving others in his name and sharing his gospel of hope for all of us.
After a good Christian funeral we are left to ponder not just about the individual who we will miss here in this world but also on the God they served – we are prompted to consider afresh where we stand with Him. It might also cause us to consider how we might be remembered. What might people say about us when our time here is over – and what might they say about what we believed? In short, will the story of our lives bring God’s enduring hope to others?