Last week we went to a memorial service for a good friend who had died a couple of weeks earlier. This friend knew his end was near and was fully prepared to go to meet his Lord and Master. So it was good to pay our respects to his memory, and to give his wife a hug.

    This week we went to a funeral service of another good friend. There were many eulogies and memories given. He too, was ready to go on this, his last journey. The service left the hearers in no doubt of this fact. His family all recognised what he had lived for, and paid respects to this. It was a time of memories, with laughs and tears at the same time.

    So many people these days like to forgo the rite of a funeral, often just having a cremation rather than a funeral. This must be very difficult for those closest to the deceased, as there is not the same sense of closure as seeing the coffin go into the ground. This too, is the place where those closest can come in days to come, to remember, and at first to still grieve.

    For those who know the Lord God, it is comforting to take the promises of Scripture at their word. We can know that this is not the end of life, but in fact, the beginning of a new stage of life….life eternal with the God of Heaven. We have no comprehension of what  exactly is involved in this, as we only know this life, but both these friends of ours DO know what it is all about now. We can have this confidence here and now too, so let’s hope each one of us looks for this.