Plan Your Funeral
1 Chronicles 28:9-12
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”
Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things.
Shortly before he died, King David gave his son Solomon the plans for building the LORD’s temple. God didn’t allow David to build the temple because he was a warrior and had shed blood (1 Chronicles 28:3). God chose Solomon to build the temple, and David gave Solomon the plans he had come up with. After David died, this temple would be a lasting declaration of God’s glory, power, might, and love. David made plans for his passing.
It’s good practice to have plans in place in the case of your passing. You make a will so that your property goes to the right people. You have life insurance so that your family is taken care of. These plans are in place so things go smoothly on earth when Jesus takes you to heaven.
What about your funeral?
The point of a funeral isn’t to say how good you were. It isn’t just for remembering funny stories or good memories. The center of a Christian funeral is Christ. The sermon will talk about how Jesus saved you and brought you to heaven. The readings will tell of Jesus’ love for you. The hymns will sing the praise of the Savior.
As a pastor, I’m usually the one to plan the services at our church. But for your funeral, you have some say. Have you thought about it? Have you planned it?
Who will come to your funeral? I’m sure you will have church friends who come. But there will also be many for whom the only time they step inside a church is at weddings and funerals. Maybe your funeral is the one time they’ll be inside a church.
What do you want them to hear?
What do you want them to sing?
Funerals are one of the best places to hear the good news about Jesus because they remind us what our Christian faith is all about: Salvation from sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, think about it. Even if you’re young, think about it. Sure, the readings and the hymns could change over time. You might have new favorites. You might know new people who need to hear a little bit of a different message. Think about what they need to know about Jesus for the rest of their lives on earth and for life after death.
If I am your pastor, let me know your plan. If I’m not your pastor, let your pastor know. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.