Grace, peace and mercy be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Summer is now over once again according to the calendar, fall is upon us and the weather pattern changes seem to occur almost daily. We seem to move from warm to cold to hot to cool with what seems to be little rhyme or reason, other than it’s fall in the Midwest. The leaves on the trees will be changing colors and falling and things that were blooming and full of life will appear dead and cold.

Death seems to be inescapable and cold. It grips all life on earth and because of our sin we will face death. We also know the joy of spring the spring of new life through the death and resurrection of our lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What a beautiful reminder of this we have every April, and May as things seem to bloom and burst forth with the colors of life again.

As Christians we face death with a unique hope in Christ and whereas the death of a fellow Christian is sad, and we will miss them, we also have an excellent opportunity to proclaim the life we have in Christ. One of the ways we do this is through a Christian funeral. The planning for a funeral can be difficult for family and loved ones. We may want to consider some planning ahead of time so the family and the pastor are aware of certain items. One may consider favorite Bible passages, confirmation verse, and favorite hymns. As we consider these things prayerfully consider the witness of our faith and the hope that we have in Christ that is shared with friends and loved ones present at the funeral.

Funerals are a marvelous time to rejoice in faith and hope given through the blessing of God that others may see God’s blessing in their lives as well. One may want to consider the form found in this newsletter or something similar to include with personal papers at home as well as sharing that information with pastor or the church office. The Christian funeral and burial are indeed a wonderful opportunity to express the hope that we have in Christ and a comfort and hope for family and friends.