I went to a memorial service this morning for a brother who has died. A good man, and family man, a hard working man, a Marine, and a Christian man. He leaves behind a large family and many friends.
We call it a memorial service, not a funeral. When you attend a funeral it is a somber affair. There are family and friends there. There is a short service. But it is not a joyous time at all. A memorial service is for those left behind when someone dies. I wonder if they think that keeping the service focused on Heaven will make it easier for the family. I think that it does not matter what we call it, these services are sad times when we remember the death of a loved one.
I wonder if Pentecostals do not know how to grieve or how to mourn. We want to be happy and joyful all of the time. The joy of the Lord is our strength. They are in Heaven with Christ. We are saved, why should we be sad?
But we are sad. We lost someone dear to us. We lost someone that we thought that we could not live without. We are sad, we are angry, We are shocked, we are confused. We are everything but joyful.
I would rather have a funeral where people can cry as they reminisce. Weeping may endure for a while, but joy will return in time. In the mean time, let those who loved them grieve and mourn for them for a while. Stop trying to make a sad time happy.
Lord, help this family. They lost a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a friend. No one will ever take his place in their lives.
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5
No comments:
Post a Comment