Thank you all for your prayers. I again was amazed as the Holy Spirit swept down at the beginning of the funeral service today. The wife of the deceased has heard me preach via tape, but this was the first time she heard me live — she is a resident of a nursing home. I enjoyed watching her expressions as I preached. It really encouraged me. We had a wonderful service. I finished the sermon with It Is Well With My Soul. This is my second funeral and the second time we finished with a song. I just might get the reputation of being the singing preacher!
We had about a thirty minute ride to the cemetery. We had a military tribute as part of the committal and it was very moving. The cemetery was along side a little country United Methodist Church, where the couple grew up. The cool thing was is that the church served a meal to the family even though (as far as I know) none of the family currently attends the church. As a pastor, I made sure the church knew I was impressed and blessed by their hospitality. Over the last couple of months, I mentioned the word missional — this was missional in action. How cool is that?
