“Jesus
said to her, ‘I am
the resurrection and the life. He who believes in
Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever
lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you
believe this?’” (John 11:25-26)
Friday Study Ministries
receives occasional phone calls from local
morticians, asking us to perform funerals. Often,
the family of the deceased has little or no history
of church attendance and many have little interest
in the things of the Lord. The grief expressed by
the survivors of their loved one typically appears
to be honest enough, but there is seldom any hope of
seeing them again. The “departed” is simply – gone!
The expectation is that a
review of the life and loves of the deceased person
will occur which will aid the surviving family
members and friends through their own period of
grief over the loss. I perform the expected
function, but during the telephone calls and
meetings with family members that precede the
funeral, I look for anything that might have gripped
the heart of the departed and touched them with
faith in the Lord. Anything is important, whether
it’s church attendance as a teenager or a visit to a
Billy Graham crusade – anything. Yes, the life of
the deceased is important, but it’s also essential
to include the Lord. He is vital to those who are
attending the service.
Along with various Scripture
verses for funerals, I include true anecdotes that
illustrate the faith of notable persons who have
preceded us. A favorite is Winston Churchill. I
like him for such funerals because those who attend
are frequently nice enough people, but more often
than not, the family drinks, smokes, watches TV, and
does whatever fills their time on weekends – except
church. Some “holier-than-thou” person would mean
little to them, but Sir Winston, who smoked cigars
and drank beer, catches their attention.
Churchill planned his own
funeral in great detail and did something very
unusual. He instructed that after the benediction,
a bugler, positioned high in the dome of St. Paul’s
Cathedral, would play “Taps,”
the common signal that the day is over. But then
came the surprising part. Churchill instructed that
ANOTHER bugler, high on the other side of the dome,
play the notes of “Reveille,”
the widely-known signal that a new day has dawned
and it’s time to rise from sleep. Churchill was
testifying that at the end of history the last note
will not be “Taps,”
but “Reveille,”
indicating that Christ has opened to us the door to
heaven and new life by his own death and
resurrection.
A couple of weeks ago, I
performed such a service and included the anecdote
about Sir Winston. After the funeral, I was talking
with a small group of those who attended. In this
particular situation, the deceased DID appear to
have loved the Lord very much. The reason we were
called to perform this particular funeral was
because their regular clergy-person was elderly and
infirm. The one who had gone to be with the Lord
had lived a very long time and after the funeral
service, we were discussing the aging process and
how it affects us. A niece remarked that the
“departed” had not suffered as much through aging as
other people do, but observed that getting older is
really hard. She looked at me, noted my age and
said, “You’ve got three
years!”
Sometimes well-meaning people
just give too much information.
The lady who was the “deceased”
at this funeral was an interesting person.
Attendees at the service included the former police
chief of her city, and a judge of that community.
The mayor was unable to attend, but dedicated the
city council meeting of that morning to her memory,
and all in attendance at the council meeting joined
in a moment of silence for her. But note that the
“deceased” person’s perspective is different now.
That which was theoretical is now a fact – she is
face-to-face with the Lord. God is looking at her
heart, the center of her being, open for all to see,
and the only thing that matters is this: did she
place her trust in the Lord while she lived on this
earth? At some point, YOU will have the same
perspective, and when you’re face-to-face with the
Lord, what will you say?
I’ve noticed that everyone has
a “story.” Those who think of themselves as
“boring,” really aren’t, when you get to know them.
Everybody is important, and if you think, “Well,
he wouldn’t say that, if he really knew ME!”
– write to me, tell us your story and let others
decide. Quite often, people are much different than
they think they are, when seen through the eyes of
others. And often, the embarrassing or even the
“boring” parts of our lives that we have kept
hidden, can be useful tools in the hands of God, for
others to understand that they are not alone. And
it’s necessary for every one of us to see that the
Lord Jesus died for us – He died for you, He died
for me. He personally experienced each and every
one of our sins on that cross and He paid the price
for all of them. You are important to God – who and
what you are, MATTERS to Him!
You matter. As Jesus said,
I am the resurrection and
the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die,
he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me
shall never die. Do you believe this?’” (John
11:25-26). As you may have heard before, if you
were the only person who ever sinned, Jesus would
have died just for you, on your behalf. And He DID
die for you. You have worth, dignity, and
importance in His sight. As stated before: you
matter! Like the lady who had a city council
meeting dedicated to her, there is a place and
circumstance in eternity dedicated especially to and
for – you.
Winston Churchill, upon his
death, came into the presence of the Lord. He
closed his eyes and died, but that was not the end.
Suddenly, there was the Lord, looking at him with
love. When we think of Sir Winston, we think of a
man who was mighty with words in a time of war. He
was the Prime Minister at one of the most critical
times in English history. He was the man for his
hour. Yet that is not the important issue in his
encounter with God. What matters is that Sir
Winston KNEW that Jesus is “the
resurrection and the life.” He could not
plead ignorance. He knew. And then the key
question: did he believe?
The words of today’s Scripture
tell us it is possible for us to “never
die.” All of our bodies will wear out, but
those who trust in the Lord “shall
live” forever. Physical death is real, but
there is much more. “Taps”
will come, but it will be followed by “Reveille”
for those who look to the Lord. Are you willing to
“believe” in the God
the Son? Let’s pray together:
Lord Jesus, I see that “Taps”
will someday play for me, but I believe in You,
Lord, and look to You. I trust in You, Lord, and
receive You now. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron
Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
Ron@FridayStudy.org "While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
(Romans 5:8)
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Friday Study Ministries
P.O. Box 92131
Long Beach, CA 90809-2131
