1 And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Ephesians 2:1-3 (LSB)
I have been to many funerals in my 72 years. The hard ones are for those who were young and it seemed that they had not had the time to do anything in this life….
Of course the hardest ones are of those we were sure were not believers. On the other hand, there have been those who were Christians who we served with for many years and some who came to the Lord as they neared their end. For instance, I led my uncle to the Lord the day before he died. What a difference that made at that funeral! Several years ago my nephew Travis developed brain cancer and eventually died from it. He was a good Christian man. I remember his funeral being more of a celebration than something mournful. Also, we had a good friend at our church who battled brain cancer for over a year and ended up in hospice for several weeks before he died. He was a godly man. His funeral was somewhat sad because we all will miss him, but it was not a tragic thing for us nor for his family for he was much beloved and was a solid Christian leader. At his funeral many shared how his life had impacted them to draw them into a closer walk with the Lord. Yes there was weeping, but not that mournful thing.