Planning Funerals

Some would say this is a sad topic, too sad for a devotional. My goal is not to frighten you, but to prepare you for the inevitable. 

There is a time to give birth and a time to die.  (Ecclesiastes 3:2)

Some of these items are better performed before you pass, but it is helpful if you are suddenly expected to bury a loved one.

 Contact family and friends. Decide the who, where, when, and how of the funeral by choosing a funeral home, deciding on burial or cremation and who will perform the actual burial ceremony. Who will do the eulogy?

Consider how many might attend and figure out where and what to feed them. Book a caterer if necessary. When this is organized, print the information in the local papers or put it on social media.

What music, readings and Bible texts are appropriate? It’s helpful to prepare handouts with the order of service and the words of any hymns. Order flowers.  

Later, after the ceremony, it is polite to call or send thank you notes. Finally, if necessary, collect the ashes and arrange for burial.

Does this sound cold-blooded and brutal? Well, I guess it is. But when the time comes, we are so numb with grief that it’s hard to even think. The bearable part is that if your loved one and you both know Jesus as Saviour, you will meet again someday.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my father’s house there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going 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. (John 14:1-3)