Funeral in Scripture

• Joshua 24:32, the funeral for Joseph (Joseph's bones were buried)
• 2 Samuel 12:22-24, the death of an ill child (mourning for David and Bathsheba's child)
• Job 19:25-27, I will see God (Job says he knows his Redeemer lives) 
• Psalm 27:4, hope of living in God's presence (I seek one thing: to live in the Lord's house all of my days)
• Psalm 90:3-4, the frailty of life (we are turned back to dust)
• John 5:24-25, alive after death (the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God)
• Romans 14:7-8, living and dying (we are the Lord's in life and in death)
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13, with God in death (grieving with hope)
• Revelation 21:3-4, the end of mourning (death will be no more)

Sermon ideas about Funerals

See also Death

Hope in the face of death 

A funeral sermon or homily will communicate that the Bible paints a picture of hope in the face of death. However we commemorate the life of the deceased, we do so with an awareness of the hope of eternal life and the promise of the glorious resurrection. While David put off mourning after the death of his son (2 Samuel 12:22-23), Paul acknowledges that believers will grieve the loss of their loved ones, albeit in a way different from the rest of humanity (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The psalms acknowledge the frailty of human life (Psalm 90:3-4) and the hope of living in the presence of God (Psalm 27:4). The promises of the Old and New Testaments alike confirm the faithfulness of God to the covenant promises (Joshua 24:32) and the promised hope of eternal life, both individual (John 5:24-25) and cosmic (Revelation 21:3-4). 

Funeral vs. memorial service 

Many people perceive the funeral as a negative emotional experience. Parishioners may say, "I don't want a funeral; I want a memorial service." Or, "I want a celebration of life, not a reminder of death." Within these comments, pastors should consider two opposite pulls: 

• On the one hand, we should wonder what it is about our funerals that parishioners wish to avoid. Are we failing to preach the good news of eternal life? Then perhaps the push against funerals is somewhat warranted.  

• On the other hand, we recognize that contemporary culture is uncomfortable with death. In our attempts to avoid public grief, we can be tempted to avoid the reality of death that faces us. The funeral can and should be a time to gently and pastorally create space for public grief. 

The valley of the shadow of death 

It can be helpful to think of the movement of a funeral as following the valley of the shadow of death. In the funeral service, pastors walk with their parishioners into the darkness of death. We acknowledge the reality of pain and sorrow. We may mourn tragic circumstances surrounding the death. 

The funeral begins an upward climb, however, as we move toward the resurrection and hope. While pastoral sensitivity may dictate a slower pace for moving toward hope, the Christian funeral must be a service of hope and good news. 

Cremation? 

As concerns come to the fore about the amount of space consumed by cemeteries, cremation is becoming a more common practice. Some parishioners may express concern over whether this is acceptable Christian practice. 1 Corinthians 15:37 suggests that our earthly bodies are akin to a seed of our glorious resurrected bodies. While we know very little about our eternal bodies, we do know that God is capable of raising the imperishable from the perishable (1 Corinthians 15:42), and we have nothing to suggest that the perishable body must be intact for this to be the case. 

Differing funeral practices 

Funeral practices vary widely from region to region and from tradition to tradition. A parishioner may be surprised to learn that in your congregation it is common practice for the family of the deceased to host a lunch after the funeral, while someone else may be shocked that the lunch includes anything other than deli meat on buns. The sensitive pastor will be aware of these differences and should work hard to understand local funerary practices.