Memorial Services - intense...

Bless you in this work. I do not find it an easy work for me--I would much rather be with children on any given day. My prayers go out to you.

 

I take those kind of services very seriously. A lady died who knew so many in the community where she lived. I did the funeral. She was truly a servant of God and served others as well. But I remember when I told of my relationship with her and how she came to Christ. Some of the people listening to me might as well shook their fist. Some others noticed too. I was told they were Mormons. Sometimes people just don't want to hear the truth. But sometimes I takes the harsh reality that we someday will be there meeting God when He demands our life from us. We will see Him face to face and will be accountable to Him only.

On another occasion I did a funeral for a man who died who was not a Christian and present was a man who was my next door neighbor. I had witnessed to him and tried to be a good friendly neighbor but he never seemed to listen to spiritual things. But after I spoke the entire group of people did not move or say anything for about ten minutes. They were rough people. But God is at work among them. '

Funerals are a great time to aid in healing the grieving and to tell the good news. To prepare I try to get together with the family a few days before and just let them tell me about the deceased. Some of my best sermons have been at funerals. My pastor who taught me how to do funerals has won many to Christ because of a funeral he did for someone.

I did a funeral for a close friend of mine. It was quite easy and yet very hard. I knew him well enough to know his struggles and his heart. The great thing about that time was that I was able to share the struggles and commitments of a real person. The service lasted about two hours. Some people told things that me nor his wife even knew. It was a great time of healing and a great time for God to be glorified. I consider it a privilege to do a funeral anytime I am asked.

When you do a wedding all eyes are on the bride. When you give a regular sermon who knows what the people are thinking. But when you do a funeral all eyes are on you. So get the facts right. If you don't know something just ask. I always try to go over the complete sermon with someone who knows the facts well. There have been times when I didn't quite have all the facts straight and it was good to have gone over the sermon with someone. I never tell stories that I don't know to be true. I will tell stories that I have been told and naming the source. I always ask first if I can say something I have been told. I might say the family said,".." I might say I know..." Never embellish the story or make the person look better than they really were. Be real.

 

Absolutely. I agree. have always tried to steer the family members to that kind of service especially if the deceased was a godly person. It can be one of the greatest times for the family. One time I did a funeral and one of the daughters of the deceased came and was pleasantly surprised. Her and her dad at one time had a very poor relationship. She had gone down the wrong road. Finally she got her life turned around by becoming a Christian but had not spoken to her dad about it. But at the funeral I spoke of his commitment to Christ as did many others. He was in the discipleship group that I was leading. That service has an incredible effect on her. It brought her home and restored her fellowship the family. She thanked me for that time. She even got up to share about how that time meant so much to her. It was truly a time of healing and restoration for her and her family. They walked away different.

 

Whether a funeral or a memorial service - I view each as an opportunity to preach Christ crucified, buried, and ressurected to a captive audience.

I preach with the prayer that God will touch some lost soul with the truth of the gospel.

Dan

 

I am not a pastor but I love to preach and will and have if given the oportunity,my wife's grandmother has made me promise to do her funeral,I have talked with her she is saved,but I am still very nervous about it,she is still alive but she is also 96 years old. not sure what Im going to say. HELP!

 

I am not a pastor but I love to preach and will and have if given the oportunity,my wife's grandmother has made me promise to do her funeral,I have talked with her she is saved,but I am still very nervous about it,she is still alive but she is also 96 years old. not sure what Im going to say. HELP!