One of the questions in the Methodist Blogger Profile series is "What, if anything, do you worry about?" Joel Thomas answered:
Botching funerals. There’s always another week to make up for a bad sermon, but survivors are looking for what the Gospel says about death and resurrection in both meaningful and powerful ways.
How very true. Which is why, over the past few days, I was in my church town (and away from Internet access), tending to a grieving family. It was my first funeral, and it went fine -- at least as far as funerals and episodes of grief can go.
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2 comments:
Dear John,
The very best words I heard at a funeral comforted me. My cousin's daughter died of menangitis within fours days of illness (from a mosquito bite!). The preacher asked permission to go a little farther than what scripture said about Enoch going to be with God. It was said that Enoch and God liked to take walks in the long cool evenings. One night, God said to Enoch, "We are closer to My House tonight. How 'bout you just come home with me." It put an image in my head of this little girl chatting and walking into God's cottage in the woods and snuggling next to the fire with hot chocolate instead of the gasping for breath and finding none. It's amazing what a simple story can do to transform a heart.
Good to see you back. I admire anyone who can minster to those in grief. I have seen (and experienced) it done poorly and very, very well... I'm sure you did fine.
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