The love of God expressed at a funeral

2 Corinthians 5:14, “14 For the love of Christ compels us…”

Recently a relative of mine passed away. She accepted Christ a few weeks before she went to the Lord. Subsequently, the family has requested His Harvest Church to conduct the funeral service even though her husband was not a Christian. Being a relative and a member of His Harvest Church, I was involved in the preparation of the funeral as well. However there is something worth mentioning during the period from the day she received salvation to the day the funeral service ended.

It was Pastor Oon who led her in the salvation prayer while she was lying on her bed. She has contracted cancer and was placed for further observation in the hospice. Upon receiving God into her life, she witnessed that she experienced a supernatural peace which she had never felt before. Following on the church was notified of her condition and we prayed for her both corporately and individually. For almost everyday, Pastor Oon went down to pray for her and encourage her during her time of rest. Members of the church also made their way down on a frequent basis and we tried all means to help her to know God better through songs, dvds, books, audio bible etc. In addition, we even tried to introduce her to Chinese speaking Christians from other churches who could overcome the language barrier and minister to her better. During this period, I have witnessed the demonstration of God’s love pouring out of the various individuals and the amount of sacrifices that could possibly be made in the area of pastoral care.

During the funeral wake, our church members were asked to attend the service if they were available during the 2 days. Our worship team was also mobilized and everyone was so willing to help out in whatever they could. Justin, for example, sacrificed his studies and work to help in leading the worship service. The point is most of them have never knew the deceased personally even myself. However God supernaturally connect us together and brought the church to a point of unity in demonstrating the love of God towards the family. Personally, I felt compelled to help in whatever means I could. While her relatives were few I am sure our presence during the worship service and sermon have brought in the presence and peace of God and the comfort to her immediate family.

One interesting observation was while Pastor Oon was giving the sermon, a Chinese interpreter was requested from another church and another couple from another different church had volunteered to sing dialect songs for the family. 3 important functions from 3 different churches coming together in one accord to facilitate and comfort the deceased family clearly demonstrate the solidarity and the willingness of Christians to come together and do something good for the people in the name of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:16, “16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Steve