Emily wrote a great piece last week about taking her children to a funeral.
I remember getting taken to plenty of funerals when I was little. The funerals weren't usually people I knew, although they were probably friends of my mom or grandma. Somehow, that worked its way into my brain as the idea that people from church belong at funerals. After all, if we're the church family, then we belong at the church funeral every bit as much as the blood family. Although one pastor suggested that it's a pitiful sight to see people at a funeral who aren't family/friends, I know a lot more pastors who want to see the rest of the congregation at a funeral.
And like Emily mentioned, it makes it easier to teach children about funerals and death when the heartache isn't overwhelming and the busyness (of funeral preparations) isn't taking up all the parents attention.
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I am delighted that my kids are encouraged to go to funerals. THey help with the funeral dinner and clean up afterwards and see that the funeral is part of our lives together as the church. Why would it be pitiful for people to care for others. I know....everyone has different opinions about this.
ReplyDelete(No you are not a nobody.....)
if we're the church family, then we belong at the church funeral
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! That was one of the things that struck me about going to this funeral. It felt appropriate that I (and the whole Body of Christ) should attend this commending of our sister into God's Hands.
I thinks there is a sort of individuality that pervades baptisms and funerals - that these church acts are meant only for the invovled family; the rest of the church body need not attend. I don't know how this idea came to be in the church but I would be very glad to see these sentiments change.