Even though I will not hear the texts or the songs at my own funeral, I think about my funeral because, if my husband survives me, he will want some direction.
Until recently, my father was a hospice volunteer, and he and my late mother took hospice training together. In that training they were asked to plan each other’s funeral, not their own. I thought that odd at first, but Mom explained that chosen texts and songs are to give comfort to those attending the funeral. My father made choices for my mother’s funeral that would be of special comfort to him, and vice versa. A few years ago, my husband had a near-death experience. It reminded me that our lives can be changed in an instant. Though we may not have a lot of time to prepare funeral plans, we can plan to be prepared. We have so much life to celebrate in death!
This message is excerpted from the reflection “All are welcome” by Syd Brinkman from “A Living Hope: Funeral Hymns and Scripture,” a 2011 Women of the ELCA resource. Today is the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost.
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