Is It Really About the Money?

As a pastor for eight long years, I have concerns how people gave harsh comments against pastors especially funeral related activities.  Some people would say how come more people go to a church member's funeral as compared to others?  The always reason is that because the person where more people go is RICH!  The poor nobody cares because they have no money at all.  Is this really true?  How come some people look at us so lowly?  I think this is unfair for us who serves the LORD fulltime.  We have dedicated all our life to the ministry and this is the payback we return.

In our church, since we have lots of pastors, we agree to set ourselves into four groups in order not to overburden anyone from funeral ministry which oftentimes we have once a week and sometimes twice a week.  But in some instances you would really see a full force of pastors attend and a full force of church leaders in a person's wake or a wake of a church member.

In my grandmother's wake more than a month ago, it was filled with church members and pastors though all my relatives are Buddhist.  So what does this tell me?

More people attend a person's wake or a relative of church member's wake is based on what the person has done for the Lord.  How can you expect people to attend your wake when you only come to church once in a blue moon?  Who knows you?  What have you done for the Lord?  How can you be recognized?  Another is what do you expect from your church if you only come on Sunday to worship and always in a hurry to leave as if you do not exist.  How can you have connection with people?  And yet, you accuse the church is not loving, while you have not really loved anyone or shown compassion to anyone inside the church.

It is not that they are rich, but they have touch lives and contributed to the formation of the church.  I think it is so immature to never come to church and expect everyone to know you and should attend your funeral wake.  We should ask ourselves instead, what have we done for the Lord?  How have we serve the Lord in the church?  Have we really expressed our concern and love for our churchmates?

If a person dies and you know he or she has touched your life, I believe you will definitely go to his or her funeral wake.  The same if this person who has helped you experience life transformation and he or she is in grief, I believe you will be there to comfort.

So if you have never touch anyone's life, lead anyone to Christ, or discipled anyone to grow in the Lord, don't expect anyone will mourn for you because you are insignificant.  Insignificant even in the eyes of God.  Yes, God loves you, but our fruit can only be the evidence of His existence in our life.

I think every believer needs to think how they serve and love the Lord.  The legacy we are leaving behind.  If you have never serve the Lord and love God's people please do expect people to return the same favor to you.  The Scripture says, "Do unto others what you want others do unto you."