For years as a pastor I would read the obituaries in the newspaper. My reason was to see how many would not have a funeral service in a church. Seeing those obituaries kept me motivated to keep reaching those who had no church home. Oh, I know, you can have faith and salvation without a church home, but it does put doubt or confusion in a person’s mind, because it is in the church that one receives the “Means of Grace” of Word and Sacraments, which give, keep, and strengthen faith for the greatest enemy death.

Recently, I was asked if I could do a funeral for someone who had died. First, I asked if they had a church home (so that I would not cross the line of another pastors’ duties and calling to tend to those entrusted to him)? The answer was, “No,” and continued with,“we have been talking about getting to church but haven’t as of yet.”

With no church home the only option for a funeral place was the funeral home, which wasn’t large enough to handle the gathering, so it was going to be held in a school gymnasium. On top of these two situations, there comes another. Why are some church members funerals held in a funeral home or other place?

This is what happens when people do not make their wishes clear with their children or loved ones about their funeral. That is why I encourage you to make your funeral arrangements and give them to your pastor to show to your family on the day that funeral arrangements are made, such as, the time, the date, and the place of your funeral. Now, if you had said that you prefer a small funeral, they may take it that to mean more than you intended it to mean. Or sometimes family members may have fallen from the faith or have a different confession of faith and feel uncomfortable in your church. The funeral home directors and pastors prefer that they are held in the church for convenience and it is the right thing to do for a Christian. A Christian should have a church funeral; only because, it is a Christian’s last opportunity to make a statement and confession of faith through the church and through the pastor’s message for the family and friends of the deceased. That last statement “a Christian’s last opportunity to make a statement and confession of faith through the church and through the pastor’s message for the family and friends of the deceased” may sound bizarre to you; for in Romans 10:8 -

15 we read: “But what does it say? The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference

between Jew and Gentile

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the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good

news!" From these verses we know that while we are alive we are to confess and proclaim our faith. Notice that last

paragraph of Paul’s letter to the Romans. A funeral may be the last opportunity for the pastor to proclaim the Good News to many of your loved ones; giving them comfort in your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and life and salvation that is yours and for them also; and the reason for you and them being together in the future for eternity. For Jesus says in John 14, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Now I know that I can preach the Good News at the funeral home or at a graveside service. But it is a lot more convenient because of parking at the funeral homes and also the possibility of

poor weather at the cemetery; for, if it is 20 degrees below zero or 100 above in the shade not too many will want to stand and hear too much of the Good News of Jesus Christ. One other concern I have: When or if you move to be closer to your children, because that is what they want to help and tend to you, make sure that you have access to a church with your confession of faith found with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Too often it happens that members move and are not able to have church or pastoral care of their confession of faith; or the children have joined a church with a different confession of faith and will only take you there with them. Now, don’t jump to the conclusion that I am saying that your loved ones are not Christian; but they do have a different confession of faith if they belong to another denomination. That means that they would have a different focus on the teaching of God’s Word than what you do.