When a loved one or a dear friend dies, we who know the Lord experience what Paul wrote to the church in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “We grieve but not like those who have no hope.” As Christians we know that death cannot hold us, but it still hurts terribly. Tears are normal, and even beautiful, at the funeral service of one who has been called home to be with the Lord. But our tears are unique, in that those tears of sadness and mourning are mixed with tears of joy and celebration.
There are few events in which the differences between a Christian and a non-Christian are seen in such stark contrast as at a believer’s funeral. Pastors can testify how often they have seen the difference as they look out from the pulpit over the assembled congregation. There have been those whose faces reflect either the misery of bleak hopelessness or just the struggle to hang on to pleasant memories. And then there are those whose faces glow with that special smile, even through tears, that make it clear that they know “the secret!”