Confessing Sin at a Funeral ⚰️

If you Confess, He will Forgive

What would you rather do: go to a party or a funeral? Do I even need to ask? In the words of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who quoted Bill and Ted, “Party Time, Excellent!” (Should I have used “Party on, Wayne! Party on, Garth!” from SNL? Aaaa, so many choices!) This Christmas season is filled with parties—How do I have four on my calendar? I didn’t even know that many people. This might sound strange, but a life full of parties isn’t good for us. Consider the wise Professor McGonagall’s party warning: “I will not have you behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons!” Keep your hands where I can see them, Mr. Potter.

There is always one exception, half of which come from NOLA, where funerals are also parties. I present Josh Kagler, who is singing with the Kinfolk Brass Band, at a jazz funeral procession—photo by Matthew Hinton.

The worst* part of my job as a pastor is funerals. Death, loss, and grief are no laughing matter. And yes, it isn’t easy because I love the light side of life. So, attending grieving families and helping to organize a day of death is the worst* part of being a pastor. I’ve been to more funerals in the last ten years than I had in my first 30-plus years of life. Some of these men and women I’ve known closely, while others are known through their immediate family. When we sit in the sanctuary on those fateful days, you can feel a hole in the room. We collectively experience the bottom dropping out from under us. Death is among us. Death is in the room. Death claimed another loved one. If you’re smart, you are sensing the truth: I’m not immune to Death, and Death is coming for me. Maybe the next time these friends and family gather to mourn, I will be the one center stage. I will be dead… Tomorrow holds no guarantees.

Isn’t this wired… This casket looks like it’s made to be in a designer showroom. The drapes make it seem like a nice bed, except I don’t want to sleep there. Photo by The Good Funeral Guide on Unsplash

Funerals demand reflection. Death days can be the clearest mirror into our soul, while a party will never produce repentance. This is why Solomon, the Preacher, speaks of wisdom in Ecclesiastes 7, saying:

“It’s better to attend a funeral than to attend a banquet, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, because the heart is made better through trouble. For the wise person thinks carefully when in mourning, but fools focus their thoughts on pleasure.”

We are fools if we don’t heed the truth in funerals. Yes, parties bring pleasure, but they only last a night, whereas a graveyard service will bring you face to face with life’s imminent end. If you are wise like Solomon, you will remember your lost loved ones this season. You’ll grieve the missing ones this side of heaven. Then, you’ll amend your ways. And that repentance will comfort you until your final day comes. That is why funerals aren’t really the worst* part of being a pastor. Every time we say goodbye, I think: I will not waste my short life. I will lament and repent. I will draw near to God, who will soon draw near to me. And one day, He will welcome me into His kingdom as a wise steward and an old friend.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

As is our custom, I invite you to join the other readers in a corporate confession of sin. Then, I ask you to take time to confess your faults privately. Lastly, we will pray the assurance of forgiveness found only in Jesus Christ.

Let’s Pray:

Gracious God, We confess that we often fill our hearts with parties, choosing the fleeting pleasures of this world over the deep reflection that funerals demand. We avoid the hard truths of our mortality and fail to consider how short and precious our days are. Forgive us, Lord, for wasting the time You have given us and neglecting to live with eternity in mind. Your word teaches us to “number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). So, Heavenly Father, help us to lament our wasted moments, repent, and live wisely, drawing near to You, our only true source of comfort and joy. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

In silence, continue to confess your sins.

Jesus, You hear all our prayers and bring us forgiveness through Your death and resurrection. Lord, we rejoice in the eternal life You give us, defeating the power of death and making us alive forever with You. We are grateful for Your word in Psalm 103:13-14, which assures us of Your love for us, saying, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”

We praise you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; through faith in Christ, we are saved. Lord, encourage our assurance through our faithfulness to you. And thank you, God, for giving us the Lord’s Prayer, which teaches us how to pray, saying, “Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.”

Thanks for praying; God Bless You! I hope you’ll read and pray with us next Saturday at 10 am.