-Weddings vs. Funerals-

I had the chance to do my first wedding in May. One of my buddies from Columbia, SC, was getting married and I had the privilege of doing the ceremony. Last week, I was honored to get to help officiate my sister-in-law’s wedding in Hartsville, SC. At the end of the weekend, Elizabeth looked at me and said, “Two down, a couple of hundred more to go.”


(The Cline kids: Stephen, Jessica, Elizabeth, and Nathan)




I told Elizabeth that weddings really weren’t my forte, but that I was looking forward to doing my first funeral. She looked at me like I was crazy. To be honest, I would rather preach a funeral than a wedding any day. Preachers are weird like that though. Think about this . . .

Catherine (my sister in law) was so beautiful on her wedding day. (Elizabeth was a good-looking maid of honor as well!) Catherine and her husband Josh wanted the service to be worship and glorifying to God. I preached from the Word and I trust that God was glorified. But let’s be honest here - the ladies in the audience were probably more concerned with how beautiful the bride was and how sweet the ceremony was than how God sent Jesus to the world to die for our sins. The guys were probably thinking more about the food that was going to be at the reception rather than where they will spend eternity. Unfortunately, I can’t blame them. I mean, the bride and the ceremony is really what the wedding day is all about, right?

But a funeral is a totally different service. It doesn’t matter if you are the family of the deceased or merely a friend of a friend that knows the family - everyone at a funeral is thinking about death. They are thinking about the brevity of life and the longevity of eternity. They are contemplating their own life and what would happen if they died the next day. This type of mindset is fertile ground for the Gospel message, and as a minister of the Gospel, that gives me a sense of excitement and urgency.

Now before you send me any hate mail, I don’t want you to think that I like it when your relatives die! I’m just saying that when a person is thinking about eternity, life after death, and their salvation, it is important for the minister to confront those fears with the hope of Christ and let everyone there know that the gift of God is eternal life. It’s the time to say, “You know what, you are going to die one day as well. And a decision to follow Christ today will determine whether we are celebrating your life in Christ or mourning a life apart from Him.”

Nevertheless, weddings and funerals have a few very important things in common – both are great opportunities to serve people and strengthen your relationship.

I love weddings, but nothing draws us closer to the cross than a funeral. Receptions are fun, but a graveside service could lead someone to make a decision for Christ that will change their life forever. And if a preacher can’t get excited about that, they’re in the wrong profession.