“That was a good funeral.”

Before becoming a pastor, I wouldn’t have understood what she meant, but now I could agree with this senior member of my church. We had just said goodbye to one of our dear saints who had been an active volunteer in the church and community until she had fallen ill, who had remained on good terms with all of her family who surrounded her with love and care, who had been a woman of prayer and faithful to the end. At her funeral, we sang some of her favorite songs, read words of comfort from scripture, heard wonderful family tributes, and shared food plus more stories after the service. It was a good funeral because of the life she had lived, the legacy of good relationships that she had left behind, and life eternal with no more sorrow or pain.

Just as she had a…