THE FIRST & THE LAST

 4385

Pt. 1

I attended a funeral for one of our parishioners today; at a church where I served as pastoral counselor.

Janice was a precious, (I won’t say “elderly”), lady; given the fact that I am just 5 years behind her. She was a faithful member of our church, and, in spite of a significant physical infirmity, she was with us virtually every time “the door opened.”

I had previously agreed to serve as one of the six pallbearers, and felt privileged to do so. Janice was simply worth it.

A curious, (at least to me), personal train of events fell together at the funeral.

For you see, I arrived a bit early, and after having been at the church for 15 minutes, I walked back out to the lobby to sign the guestbook. Interestingly enough, I noticed that the first page was still in pristine condition, and thus, my signature became the first name in the book.

Having signed the guestbook, I walked back into the sanctuary, and it was then that the funeral director informed me that, as a pallbearer, I would be wearing a boutonniere. As a result, he proceeded to pin a white carnation onto my shirt, the sharp end of the straight pin visible; (and which tended to drive itself into my chest a few times throughout the events of this day).

Once the funeral service was underway, a visiting minister spoke glowingly of Janice, whom he knew, and sang a solo, our worship team led the audience in a couple of songs, and our pastor delivered a sermon. (I have often thought of those unbelievers among a given funeral staff, and how they are exposed to hundreds of sermons in the course of their careers, and how little excuse they will have when they stand in the judgement). 

The sermon having ended, a final prayer was rendered, and all but the family were dismissed. With this, they spent a few minutes with their deceased loved one; prior to the casket being closed.

Pt. 2

It was not by design that I found myself first again. For you see, as the casket was wheeled into the lobby, I found myself among two pallbearers, one on each side, closest to the door, and the awaiting hearse.

Having lifted the casket, we proceeded out the double doors, and pushed it into the bed of the vehicle. Once the casket was secured, and the back door of the funereal vehicle was closed, we found our respective cars, and lined up for the twenty minute drive to the cemetery.

Once we arrived at the cemetery, the six pallbearers reversed our previous movements. Inadvertently, now I found myself last. I, and my opposite pallbearer followed up in the rear, as the casket was retrieved from the hearse, and walked the twelve or fifteen steps to the casket lowering device.

The graveside ceremony was fairly brief; the pallbearers standing at attention just outside the funeral tent. With this, the funeral director uttered his final command; (something I had never seen in the dozens of funerals I have attended).

“Pallbearers, please remove your flowers, and place them in the funeral arrangement on top of the casket.”

As we lined up to submit to his instructions, I found myself last in line. One by one, each of us walked past the casket, and placed our carnations amongst the colorful foliage.

Post-script

I had just experienced a couple of firsts, and a couple of lasts.

Curiously enough, I saw something on social media today which had everything to do with the first and last days of our lives on earth…

“The only two days in our lives which are shorter than the multiplied thousands of others are the first and last days of our lives.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 assures us that,

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.

“A time to be born. And a time to die…”

The numerous firsts and lasts which I personally experienced today, (most especially at a funeral ceremony), put a proverbial exclamation mark on the implication of the foregoing scripture.

 

We are finite creatures of firsts and lasts. Whereas, our personal firsts and lasts must soon give way to an eternal, infinite, and abiding first, and which will never include a last. Thanks be to God for the personal intervention of the God-man, He who loved us, and gave Himself for us; the Alpha and Omega… the First and the Last.

by Bill McDonald, PhD