Thinking Ahead... but don't panic

Don't panic - there's nothing wrong.

Reently I started thinking about my funeral./memorial service. Not for any specific reason, but because it came up in conversation with family members as they relayed info about the memorial services they have attended lately. 

I've prepared with families for many funerals over the last 30+ years... four of them in my extended family, and I think about those to come. Many families are unprepared to answer questions about hymns and scriptures for a memorial service. It saddens me when families say, "Whatever you pick will be fine." On the flip side, I love it when they bring in bibles and journals with well-read and loved passages. And I really love hearing stories - not the fancy, religious ones, but funny stories which reflect the character and relationships that made up that person's life.  

The United Methodist Church has an excellent liturgy for the celebration of life.... the Service of Death and Resurrection and Service for Commital are theologically dense, and I wish that I had spent more time talking about them as a matter of routine conversation and teaching... when there wasn't a deadline or crisis at hand. 

I also realized that I have a lot of opinions about what I want at my own end-of-life celebration. So, I pulled out my trusty United Methodist Hymnal and picked out the hymns I want you all to sing as we celebrate my life ... seven hymns... is that too many?

Here's the list:

• Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (159) 
• This is the Day of New Beginning (383) 
• How Firm a Foundation (529)
• I Come With Joy to Meet My Lord (617)
• Hymn of Promise (707)
• Precious Lord, Take My Hand (474)
• Thine Be the Glory (308)

Absolutely NOT!

• In the Garden

As far as scriptures go, I love the scriptures they suggest in the hymnal - especially the passages from Romans 8 and John 6. Also, I would like Psalm 27 instead of Psalm 23... there's a great John Rutter choral arrangement with a clarinet accompaniment if a choir pops up in time ... 

I encourage you to think about what your end-of-life celebration might look like. Jot down hymns, bible passages, and prayers that reflect your life and witness. Talk with your family and/or your pastor about them. Put them in a place where they can be found in the grief of the moment. Be a part of the planning - everyone will be happy about that in the end.

I think I want Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken" read at the end of the service. It feels like a metaphor for my crazy, mixed-up life.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken

What do you think? What would your choices be?

Peace, Deb