Funeral services are an opportunity to proclaim the good news of the Gospel -- that the faithfully departed will be raised at the last day. In my tradition, the service is called, "A Witness to the Resurrection." This both refers to Christ's Resurrection, and to the promise that those who die in Christ will also be raised.
The challenge for pastors is that we do not always know the faith of those who die and those whose lives we celebrate through services of Witness to the Resurrection. Some lived and breathed every day in the life of the local church. We know their deeds and have witnessed firsthand the fruits of that faith. For others, we simply do not know. Yes, they may have been baptized as infants, but then we hear reports of them veering so far off course in life.
Does the Good News of the Resurrection apply to them as well?
Today we celebrate the life of an 18 year old man who was shot and killed in some type of drug exchange. He lived a hard life. He was baptized in the faith and his parents raised him the best they could. What do we make of the good news for his life?
The conclusion that I have come to is that we just don't know! The only thing we can do is proclaim the Good News of the mercy of God, trusting that there is no "hard case" that he cannot redeem. We are not privy to the roll-book in the sky, but can only hope that God is merciful to those he has marked with his covenantal promises in the waters of baptism.
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