I don't know what it is about funerals, but the last 4 or 5 that I have attended have been amazing events. While I am sure many don't associate a funeral with an uplifting event, in fact, I have found that the last bunch of funerals that I have attended have in fact been uplifting. Normally we associate death with grief and sorrow, which are indeed appropriate and necessary emotions. Having said that, when you celebrate the death of a believer, the event becomes one of infinite hope and deep reflection. A tribute to a life well lived to be sure, but more than that, a promise of a much better life for all of us left behind.
Today was one of those funerals. We drove to Red Deer today, Mark, Michelle, John and myself, actually I was a passenger in the back seat for the first time probably in 15 years. My dear friend Don Aellen lost his father the other day and we thought it very appropriate that we make the short jaunt south to show our support. I am so glad we did. Not only was it a great trip, and not only did the family appreciate our support, but the service was simply "WORSHIP". Only at a funeral, it seems, can one merge the finality of life, the frailty of life with the infinite hope of a glorious future. You can preach on this, but it only seems to work, at least on me, when you are actually staring at a pine box. Well we are off to Disciple, so that is all for now.
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