A Few Well-Timed Funerals

 My Dad was an interesting man, and the older I get, the more interesting he gets. He did not have much formal education but, all my life, I remember him as someone who read a lot and spent even more time thinking about what he had read. We were fishing one day up in Elkahatchee Creek when, out of nowhere, he said, “Son, this ole world would be a much better place with a few well-timed funerals.” In my surprise, I asked him just who he had on the list that needed to die? He quickly replied, “I’m not talking about any 'who' funerals. I’m talking about 'what' funerals. He went on, "Wouldn’t it be great if we could bury hatred and right there beside hatred, we could bury greed? We could dig some more graves and bury selfishness, bigotry, lying, cheating, and stealing. We could go on and bury all the sins of the world, and maybe, then, we could have some peace.” In my amazement, I ask, “Who in the world have you been talking with?” His response was he had just been reading “The Leather Book” and talking to “the Man upstairs.”

As I reflect back on that day, I can’t remember whether we caught any fish or not, but today I’m convinced that we need to bury a lot of the things of this world if we are going to build the Kingdom of God in our time and place. Becoming Christian is dying to sin to live for God. Maybe it is time for a few well-timed funerals…. What is first?

Blessings,

Mike