No Hope and Hope

One of the indicators that the years are passing by is that you attend more funerals than you do weddings. I’ve attended my share of weddings, performed a few of them, and now the funeral count is catching up. I attended another funeral last week. If funerals must be attended (I only know of one way to avoid it and I’m not ready for my own funeral yet) I’d rather attend funerals of Christians than funerals of non-believers. I’ve been to both. While both involve grief, Christians do not grieve as, “others who have no hope” (1 Thes. 4:13). Certainly no less intense, Christian grief is different. It is mixed with hope. Both the music and the message of Christian funerals are hope-ful. Come to think of it what is the music of the non-Christian funeral? So in the midst of last week’s funeral, of a faithful, long-time, servant of God, I received a new dose of hope. This memo then is not about death and funerals. It is about life – abundant and eternal – and the hope that is within us – hope for reunion and hope for reward. I’m sure of it! Aren’t you?