Almost Easter Funeral Homily

Dealing with death is never easy. Expected or unexpected, young or old, our hearts break as we lament the loss of a loved one and remember their affect on our lives.

And dealing with death at Easter time can feel like a bit of a mixed back. There is so much focus on the joy of Easter and the promise of resurrection, that it can feel like there isn’t time or space to fully grieve. We hear and resent words like “and their tears shall turn into shouts of gladness”. We aren’t ready for our tears to be transformed. We need to cry for awhile. We need to be sad. Our loss is great and our sorrow overbearing.

It is important that we take the time to grieve. It is important that we lament and share. That we allow ourselves to feel the loss. ______________is important to us and has touched us in so many ways and we need to remember and honor her.

And still, in the midst of our grief, Easter is there, marking the promise and depth of God’s love. While our mood is somber, it is not distraught, for even as we are reminded of our own mortality, we cannot help but the resurrection. We know that because of Christ our story does not end with death, but instead with resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

It is because of Christ we have hope. It is because of the resurrection on Easter morning that we can celebrate a life and not just mourn a death. For we know that we will be reunited one day, we trust that __________ is already celebrating with the angels as she is restored to wholeness in mind, body, and spirit.

This hope does mean we do not mourn. It does not mean we will not cry or lament or ask God why. Our grief is real. Our loss is tremendous. ____________’s absence is palpable. Our sorrow is great. And yet, in the midst of that sorrow, we still have Christ’s promise to us.
In my father’s house there are many dwelling places. I go and prepare a place for you,[and] I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also."

God sent God’s only Son out of love for us….in order to save us. And he has conquered sin and death and offered us new life through him. And he has gone into heaven and prepared a place for us. There is a room for each of us in God’s house. We are welcomed in with gracious hospitality. Today, as we say goodbye to ___________, we can imagine her in God’s mansion, celebrating in the fullness of God’s glory.

In offering salvation and creating a place for us, Christ wraps us in assurance. He tells us, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. There is peace in God’s promises. There is peace in knowing that when our life on earth returns to ashes and dust, our life in heaven has only just begun.

Let us give thanks for _________ and the promises of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us take time to grieve, to remember and to mourn. And let us also remember that because of Christ, our story does not end with death and loss but instead with eternal life and promise. Amen.