Funeral For A "Spiritual Person” (This Person Had Not Made A Public Profession Of Faith.

Funeral For A “Spiritual Person” (This person had not made a public profession of faith.

Let Us Pray: Gracious and Eternal God,

We give You thanks today for the life of _____________________________________.

We are grateful for the years You gave him on this earth,

for the love he shared with his family,

for the skills he used with his hands,

for his service to this community and nation,

and for the quiet joy he found in Your creation.

We thank You, Lord, that he was a spiritual man,

and that now his journey is complete.

Comfort those who mourn his passing—his daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren,

and all who loved him.

Surround them with Your peace that passes understanding.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.

Death always reminds us of our own frailty,

and grief reminds us of how deeply we love.

Today we celebrate the life of _________________________________________.

A devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, veteran, and friend.

His passing leaves a hole in our hearts,

but his life leaves us with memories worth cherishing and stories worth telling.

Scripture Reading – Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Many times funerals, will focus on verse 4:

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”

That verse does comfort us,

That verse reminds us that even in our darkest valleys, we are not alone.

But today, I want us to shift our eyes toward the end of the psalm—verse 6:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

That verse does three things for us today:

1. It reminds us that God is good and God is merciful.

David doesn’t say maybe the Lord is good and merciful

or hopefully the Lord is good and merciful

he says surely the Lord is good and merciful

certainly, the Lord is good and merciful

There is no doubt that the Lord is good and merciful

When we look at __________________________________ life, we can see

(Name life accomplishments of the decedent)

• He proudly served his country in the Navy.

• He worked the factory in the maintenance department

• He faithfully providing for his family.

• He loved fishing, the outdoors, and fixing things with his own hands.

• Above all, he loved his family.

• Married to his wife, _________________________________, for 60 years,

• they built a life together that produced daughters, grandchildren, and countless memories of love.

_________________________________’s family is God’s goodness.

Each child was a gift of goodness from God

Every grandchild you are a gift from God

Every family member, every friend you are a gift of God’s goodness in ____________________’s life

2. It reminds us that Mercy matters.

When the psalmist says “all the days of my life,”

we are reminded that our days are numbered.

Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Life is precious because it is limited.

_______________________________ lived 90 years, and we thank God for each one, but even 90 years pass quickly in this world.

When we realize our days are numbered, we live each with more purpose,

we cherish family,

we think more about spiritual things.

When we speak of _________________________________________, being a spiritual person.

Being “spiritual” doesn’t mean being perfect

—it means being aware that there is a God

I first met ___________________________________.

(Tell a story or share a memory about the decedent.)

I have been privileged to be in their home visiting different times.

__________________________________ was a private person

That is true of a lot of men

And even more true of people who are Veteran’s

There are multiple books that Pastors and Chaplains study on how to minister to Veterans

There is famous quote in the book To Kill a Mockingbird

Atticus Finch: You never really understand a person

Until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.

God doesn’t just look down on us from heaven

God “took on flesh” (John 1:14).