Check out the So We Speak podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
In this episode of the Podcast, Cole and Lance Ward discuss a theology of funerals and how the pastor can play a vital part in ministering to the family and all who attend.
Your Funeral
Lance offers some key insights for planning for your own funeral as well:
Talk about your funeral with your family.
Write things down and have a plan for the benefit of your remaining loved ones.
What do you want people to know?
Will the gospel be preached?
How do you want people to remember you at your funeral?
What songs would you like played? Why were these songs important to you?
Who would you like to publicly remember you? Who knew you very well that can speak on your life? Character and impact – not history.
Who would you like to conduct your service?
Include your favorite Scriptures and why those Scriptures are meaningful.
There is a lot to think about when it comes to funerals. It can be overwhelming. But keep in mind that death is inevitable. The majority of Americans aren’t faced with this reality as prevalently as in the past. For most of us, we might not come face-to-face with death until we lose someone close to us.
A Theology of Death
We never get used to death. This is evidenced by feelings of grief when we lose a loved one. Developing a theology of death requires talking about and mentally interacting with this topic—as unsettling as it can be. As believers, we can be encouraged that, just as Christ’s body was raised, out bodies will also be raised, and we will dwell with him forever.
A theology of death always finds its climax and hope in the person and work of Christ. Know the gospel and have it proclaimed at your funeral both for the comfort of the saved and (more importantly) the conviction of the unsaved.
Brittany Proffitt lives in Dallas, TX, holds a BA in Religion, and is a student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.