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Small Town Funerals

Over the last few days Bulloch county has laid to rest some incredible people. While I didn't get a chance to attend all the funerals, I had the privilege to attend one and officiate at another one. As I reflected on those events yesterday evening, it struck me the way people of faith handle funerals in a small town. Death brings with it all sorts of emotions which means that funerals and memorial services are a mixture of tears and sadness and joy and celebration. You will see and hear the flood of tears that grief brings and the laughter and joy that our hope in the resurrection brings all within a span of minutes if not seconds. We hear warnings of not trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior, while hearing shouts of "amen" and "hallelujah" at moments of affirmation for our lives and faith. 

I've never lived anywhere but the south, so I can't speak with authority on how other regions of the country handle these type of events, but most of these occasions are part family and friend reunion and a community social event. You see and speak to people that perhaps you haven't seen in a while due to various circumstances. This might be my favorite tangible aspect of small town funerals. You get to encourage folks while being simultaneously encouraged by them, all while remembering a friend or loved one who has passed from this life to the next. The opportunity to proclaim and celebrate the hope of the resurrection in Jesus Christ is without a doubt the very best part of small town funerals. The speakers and musicians be they friends, family members, lay people, or ordained clergy offer one thing--the hope of the world to come. The vision of John on the island of Patmos recorded in Revelation offers us a glimpse of hope for this world and the world to come. God, in his mercy, allows our lives to be enriched by the people we remember and celebrate, eve while we anticipate that day when all things will be made new. 

May the peace of Christ guard our hearts while we mourn, even as we wait for the consummation of Christ's kingdom! 


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