I do not like funerals because they make me sad. Even if it is not someone that I know well, it still makes me sad. This is a consequence of my wife's death. I am very sensitive to death and dying.
The memorial service for Mark did not make me sad. It made me annoyed. It seemed to me that everyone was trying too hard not to cry. Everyone tried so hard not to be sad or to show grief. It was all about Jesus and how Mark served the Lord. It was all about preaching to the unsaved friends and family who were there.
Sometimes, our zeal for evangelism blinds us to the needs of grieving loved ones at a funeral service. Funerals are not for the dead, they are for those who must learn to live without someone that they cannot live without. Grieving is proof of your love, not zeal.
My prayer is that this church will go through some things that will make it grow up. Maybe it is time to stop with the memorial services and have funerals instead.
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