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There’s nothing harder for me than preaching at a non-christian’s funeral.  The despair shown by the family and friends of the deceased is heart breaking and what hope can we extend?  Not much, to say the least.

But when it is the funeral of a brother or sister in Christ, how things change!  There may (probably will) still be tears, but there’s no real mourning.  It’s more like the sadness one feels when a loved one leaves for an extended journey.  There’s always hope of reunion.  The scriptures contain many verses of hope for those of us who love the Lord’s return.  In fact, the apostle Paul wrote that we should not be ignorant (lack knowledge) of those “who are asleep” and that we should not mourn as those do who have no hope.  Why?  Because we KNOW that Jesus the Christ rose from the dead.  We KNOW that He conquered death and that He has promised to us the same victory should we remain faithful to Him.

So, what does it mean for us to be separated  from our loved ones through “death”?  It means that we will no longer have them by our side on this earth.  It means that they are resting in our Lord, awaiting His Return.  They are not “angels”, for angels do not have the hope that we do in Jesus the Christ.  They are “in Abraham’s bosom” and they are eagerly awaiting The Day when The Christ shall return.  On That Day they will arise first and meet Him in the sky.  Yes, they are more blessed in that way because they shall be united with their Savior before those of us who have remained alive until His Return.

So why mourn?  Why grieve?  We have HOPE!  We KNOW that we will see our loved ones again.  That is what I like about preaching at a Christian’s funeral, the chance to talk of the Hope and Faith we have in Jesus Christ our Lord.