Funeral Sermons: How Much Effort? Do You Remember Them?

I can't believe that I'm posting a thread at 3 AM in the morning!

However, I've been up all evening preparing a 'funeral sermon' for a precious 92 year old lady from our Church. After a season of prayer and study I felt the Lord deal with me to minister from this subject:

"The 'Good' about 'Goodbye'"

It's amazing that I still love the thrill that I get to know that God has dealt with me about a message - any message - that can help people.

But, ultimately, it got me to thinking;

(1) QUESTION: How many preachers here put a lot of effort into funeral messages?
I probably put just as much, if not more, effort into my funeral messages than I do my Sunday Night sermons. I've been to funerals that I wish they had tried to put more into it... but I digress!

(2) QUESTION: How many preachers or saints here really remember anything preached in funerals?
I remember a lot of funerals that I remembered virtually nothing about what the preacher said. On the other hand, I remember a few that really impacted the atmosphere.

I do know, for a fact, that at times like those you can make major 'inroads' to souls with your message. I've become famous in this area for a funeral message I preached for the father of one of my Saints: he was an old guitar player in the honky tonks in our area.

Not knowing what to preach exactly the Lord dealt with me and I preached a whole sermon with my guitar on (I play several instruments) and, right in the middle of talking about losing someone you've learned to depend on, I reached up and cut one of the strings... altering the sound.

To make a long story short I ended up playing that old song 'Precious Memories' on the five remaining strings with the premise that 'even though something's missing the song goes on'... and every drunk, winehead and druggie in the place started sobbing! The good part? They all remember me on the streets of my city to this day!

God helped me... and my obedience paid off well.

OKAY: Answer the questions! This weary preacher wants to know the answers.

[Falla39]

Bro. Steadfast,

I am not a preacher but when I read your post this morning,

immediately I thought of a lovely poem by Linda Ellis. It can be

viewed on the following link.

http://www.TheDashMovie.com

In reality we preach our own funeral in our "dash"!

Blessings,

Falla39

[Jodiah91]

My grandfather passed away 4 years ago and he was one of the greatest men of God I know. He was never a preacher, but his loyalty and dedication to his church and his love for all things of God was something that has been passed on to his children and grandchildren, and someday with the help of God, to his great-grandchildren. While he did many, many things in his church (he could be counted on for just about anything from drawing bible study charts and cleaning bathrooms to picking up children for Sunday School and coordinating the peanut brittle fundraisers) one of the things he was known for was being head usher. He was a church usher for years! When he passed away, our pastor preached from the verse Psalms 84:10. It's too much to list here, but that message was so precious because it could've have described Grandpa more. . .he didn't have to be in the spotlight, didn't have to receive any glory. To him, simply being a doorkeeper in God's house was enough because do anything in the house of God, for God, was a blessing and a gift!

[rgcraig]

Falla - - that was really neat - thanks for sharing!

I can't say that I remember too many funeral sermons at all. The ONLY one that I remember I wish that I didn't. The deceased was a member of the church and none of his family was, so the minister decided to scare the holy life out of all of them (they were Catholic) and screamed the whole sermon about getting their lives right so they too could go to heaven.

It was a total embarrassment!

I remember some of my mom's funeral sermon because the minister referenced many personal things about my mom that really touched our hearts!

[Margies3]

My friend's step-niece died last week. She was telling me yesterday after church that after the funeral sermon, the pastor opened the altar for anyone who wanted to repent. Six people came forward.

I don't know about your area, but in our neck of the woods, that's very unusual! Must have been a powerful sermon!!!

[StillStanding]

I remember few funeral sermons because it's usually the same old sermon tied with personal stories about the deceased life.

I do remember one though preached by Bro. Black (don't remember his first name) in Memphis at my FIL's funeral! I won't go into detail, but I remember it impacting me and the family.

[AmazingGrace]

I remember too well... the sermon preached at my grandfathers funeral last year. It was the most horrible thing i had ever heard in my life! The pastor who presided over the funeral had been the pastor who was caught in a big family/ church mess and yet he asked to do the service... now we are sure it was for the sole fact of tearing apart the deceased! It was very very sad indeed.

[Darcie]

Honestly, I don't remember a whole lot of what was said at my dad's funeral. I remember bits and pieces. What I remember more was what my mom and my brothers said. There so much happening at a loved one's funeral and your mind is so overwhelmed, you're lucky if you remember who was there.

[Neck]

Originally Posted by Steadfast

I can't believe that I'm posting a thread at 3 AM in the morning!

However, I've been up all evening preparing a 'funeral sermon' for a precious 92 year old lady from our Church. After a season of prayer and study I felt the Lord deal with me to minister from this subject:

"The 'Good' about 'Goodbye'"

It's amazing that I still love the thrill that I get to know that God has dealt with me about a message - any message - that can help people.

But, ultimately, it got me to thinking;

(1) QUESTION: How many preachers here put a lot of effort into funeral messages?
I probably put just as much, if not more, effort into my funeral messages than I do my Sunday Night sermons. I've been to funerals that I wish they had tried to put more into it... but I digress!

(2) QUESTION: How many preachers or saints here really remember anything preached in funerals?
I remember a lot of funerals that I remembered virtually nothing about what the preacher said. On the other hand, I remember a few that really impacted the atmosphere.

I do know, for a fact, that at times like those you can make major 'inroads' to souls with your message. I've become famous in this area for a funeral message I preached for the father of one of my Saints: he was an old guitar player in the honky tonks in our area.

Not knowing what to preach exactly the Lord dealt with me and I preached a whole sermon with my guitar on (I play several instruments) and, right in the middle of talking about losing someone you've learned to depend on, I reached up and cut one of the strings... altering the sound.

To make a long story short I ended up playing that old song 'Precious Memories' on the five remaining strings with the premise that 'even though something's missing the song goes on'... and every drunk, winehead and druggie in the place started sobbing! The good part? They all remember me on the streets of my city to this day!

God helped me... and my obedience paid off well.

OKAY: Answer the questions! This weary preacher wants to know the answers.

I remember my Dad's funeral in 1978. Nathan Urshan(Main speaker), Mark Hanby, Wayne McClain, John Cupit, Kenneth Mendanhall, Frank Tamel all spoke.

[DividedThigh]

i remember as a young pastor, i got a call to preach a funeral in town, northern wis, i called my presbyter, to ask for advice, since i didnt know the guy or the family, he gave me some very good advice, preach to the living, bless them, so i didnt take my shot to try and convert them i made my effort to bless them and show gods love, good advice i thought, dt