The Funeral Part II: Let’s Pray and Let’s go
I feel the need to say a few words about my previous post, which re-read, does seem a bit abrupt and harsh (and not necessarily well-written!)
I just ached and longed for the truth about God to be spoken to those young people. The fact that the youth pastor didn’t was absolutely devastating, but not that great a surprise, which makes it even worse.
Why is the church so ashamed of the gospel? Why so ashamed of the God who is Himself the gospel, the good news? We are afraid to say hard things. We are afraid to be genuine, authentic and vulnerable and cast absolutely on the God who is there. I understand; we are mere people, mere weak humans, who have no strength of our own. All the more reason then to abandon ourselves to His purposes. He is great!
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” Our prayers to Him to send willing laborers out into (His!) harvest is one means He uses to rescue the precious, captive, harassed and helpless ones He is seeking. He told us to pray… let’s pray. He told us to go… let’s go.
June 6th, 2008 at 06:29
And He will send laborers.
A husband of a woman I clean for passed away recently. I’d been praying for their salvation and sharing what I could with my brief opportunities, but I had very little interaction with him over the years I’ve known them. His wife told me that a day or two before his passing he’d asked to speak to a fellow he’d known for years and he came and talked to him, and that he’d made peace with God, and that God had been there when he died. I had no idea what she meant by that. This is a house with framed pages from the Q’uran on the wall, statues of the Buddha, crucifixes and crosses, and a fridge magnet of the Madonna telling the Child, “It’s okay if you’re gay.”
At the funeral I found out what happened. The man who had visited her dying husband performed the funeral. Before a crowd of “free-spirited” mourners he shared how he’d told the deceased about Jesus Christ being the only way to the Father, etc. He shared the Gospel. He told how the man had surrendered to Christ in tears and how his next thought was for his wife’s salvation. He had wanted his friend to share the gospel with his wife right away.
Well, I think the man caught some flack for saying the things he did before that ecclectic bunch, but I was overjoyed. God had sent a worker into that field where I couldn’t go. Even though I had prayed, I didn’t really think he would be saved. Yet he was. Now my prayers are for his wife, and for grace not to waste opportunities that arise to share the gospel.
June 6th, 2008 at 07:17
What a great story, and how wonderful our God is! May the Lord give you great freedom in proclaiming His name.
On a side note… As I was writing this post, I think I noticed for the first time that Jesus doesn’t say simply “the” harvest, but “His” harvest. He will certainly, as you say, Laurie, send laborers out into His harvest to gather His own.
June 11th, 2008 at 19:27
Jeri,
You didn’t say, but if the youth pastor was a young man, then you also have to consider his immaturity. Doing a funeral is probably one of the most difficult thing a minister can do. I did my very first one a few weeks ago. It was my wife’s half-brother. My wife’s completely estranged, completely unsaved, completely broke, completely abandoned half-brother… a man who had 5 kids (I believe) by as many women (I’m not even sure they were all married) and only one child and one ex-wife them showed up for the funeral.
It was by far the hardest thing I had ever done. There were all of 12 people at the funeral… that included me, my wife, my two kids (who were really only there because we needed them to help carry the casket - they never met the guy), my wife’s brother along with his wife and adult daughter (really only their for moral support for her dad), my mom and dad (there to support me - my first funeral - and Patty - since it was her brother– also they never met the guy), one of the deceased’s daughters (can I really call her my neice if I never met her), and one of the deceased’s ex wives along with her daughter (no relation - who was also only there for moral support). I should note that my wife’s father did not even attend… Of the 12 of us, all but 2 were known to be saved.
What do you do in a case like that? I proclaimed the gospel. Did I do it boldly and in your face? No, but I did talk about reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ as well as reconciliation with each other.
I say that because it’s hard to know exactly what to do in a situation like that. I know it is not an excuse, because I do agree that when all else fails, preach the gospel - and do it boldly. These words probably don’t make it any easier with respect to what happened, but I would suggest you not think too poorly or too harshly of the youth pastor. It takes tremendous strength to be bold in that situation. It is probably easier to be bold when you are being directly attacked than it is when you know everyone around you is suffering. You want to be consoling and not confrontational. Doesn’t necessarily make it right, but it does happen that way some times. I doubt the man consciously intended to compromise the gospel.
July 6th, 2008 at 06:06
…this is a beautiful blog and I am thankful for what you are doing. Praise be to God and may he fortify and strengthen the work of your hands for as long as you are devoted to his work. Amen.