The day I did a wedding and a funeral on the same day...and got them backwards!
As I Pastor, I have the privilege of officating people’s weddings and funerals. Nothing compares to the gravity of helping people connect with God at life’s major moments. Last weekend I had the rare experience of officiating a wedding and a funeral on the same day…and I got them backwards! Here’s how.
When my friends heard that I was officiating a funeral in the morning and a wedding in the evening, they all agreed, “At least you get to end the day on a happy note!” I felt the same way…until I stood before hundreds of people at the funeral service. Then it occurred to me, I had it all backwards.
MISTAKE #1 ~ Thinking that the funeral was the downer! In fact, it was quite the opposite. At the funeral we celebrated the life of a genuine man of God. This man left behind a tremendous legacy of faith in God, hope in Christ, and love for people. We laughed, we cried, and we celebrated a life lived for Christ. Though he left behind 3 teenage boys and an amazing wife, we thanked God for releasing this man from his pain. And we looked forward to a grand reunion in Christ when Jesus renews all things.
MISTAKE #2 ~ Thinking that the wedding was the high note! The young couple that stood before me were embarking on a new beginning of life together. But, they also faced the crisis of trading up the single life (marked by the pursuit of self), for the married life (marked by the pursuit of oneness). Yet, they did not know what they did not know. What they didn’t know was just how hard life together would be. They did not know just how abruptly their honeymoon would end and life’s harsh realities would settle in.
Like a quarterback calling an audible at the line, what I saw affected what I did.
- At the funeral, I proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ in no uncertain terms from John 14:1-6. My friend who asked me to officiate his funeral wanted me to share Christ and invite a response. That’s exactly what I did. Only, having just celebrated my friend’s faith in Christ, I became overwhelmed with the hope of the gospel, rather than the heaviness of a funeral.
- At the wedding, I impressed upon this young couple the gravity of their new union before God. I framed their vows as weighty words transferring them out of an individual life and into a marriage union. And that God would forever hold them accountable for the gift that is their marriage mate, and the reality that is their marriage union.
Don’t get me wrong, the wedding was a fun and the funeral was sad. But here’s what God showed me ~ the gospel of Jesus Christ declares Jesus as Lord - Lord over our living (as in the wedding), and Lord over our dying (as in the funeral)! As a minister, I’ve renewed my sense of responsibility to proclaim Jesus Christ, Lord over our living and our dying.
“For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” ~ Romans 14:9, ESV
What image comes to mind when you hear the word “leader”?
I am a Missional Leader and Community Life Pastor. This blog is a place for people who're interested in learning to HEAR God, FOLLOW Christ, and / or LEAD others. Everything here is my own opinion, meant to help you wake up to God's dream for your life. 
