A Preview of His Own Funeral

Chuck Swindoll tells a personal story about the time when he had begun to wonder if time had taken its toll, and if, perhaps, he had gone on to his eternal reward.

It seems the staff at his church was prone to practical jokes, mostly at his expense, and one day they hit on the most impractical of all practical jokes.

As Rev. Swindoll walked into the foyer of his church one day, he heard what seemed to be soft funereal music emanating from the sanctuary. And it occurred to him that he had not scheduled a funeral service for that day; since no one from the church had passed away in the past several weeks. As a result, he was determined to discover “what was going on.”

The good minister walked towards the wooden doors, threw open the nearest one, and walked into the sanctuary. The sight before him was both unexpected and shocking, and he made his way closer to properly assess what greeted his eyes.

No, his vision was not distorted, for just beneath the podium and beside the altar rail was an ornate white

… casket.

And next to the casket was a “stadium-sized” photo of none other than

… Rev. Chuck Swindoll!

A couple of artificial funeral wreaths completed the illusion.

The pastor recounts how he glanced at his watch to see if it was still running! And then it occurred to him that the staff had been up to their old tricks.

Suddenly, the sound of hilarity rose in a crescendo behind him. Six or eight of his staff members roared with laughter! At which point the minister joined along with them, and mused that this had been the best joke of all time!

However, after the music was silenced, and the rental casket was returned to the funeral home, the parson recounts having experienced a recurring thought.

“In reality that scene may actually fall together very much as I witnessed it a few days ago… except my body will be included in the list of items necessary for a proper funeral.

And someone else will make use of the office which God has presently lent to me.”

Ah, the brevity of life, the necessity of being ready for the next, and the importance of discovering God’s individual will for each of us.


By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 15. Copyright Volumes 1-15.

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