At the end of May, 500 guests to the home of Katie Young, Mesa, Arizona, were treated to a day they will never forget. The honoree was her husband, Brandon. The atmosphere was festive with music playing and lots of good food. A bounce house was in the yard for the kids to enjoy.
The guest of honor is an artist so there were many art supplies for kids and adults to enjoy. Brandon is also known as a guy who frequently shaves his hair and beard, allowing it to grow back and reshaping it to have a unique look. Therefore, the party had several pictures of him in his “bald” state and plenty of Sharpie markers so the guests could draw their own hair and beards on his pictures.
Brandon’s favorite food/snack is popsicles. Eating six or seven at a time is normal for him. What would the party be without his favorite food?!? The guests could eat all the popsicles they wanted.
What was the occasion? Was this a birthday celebration? An anniversary? Retirement party? Open house for the neighborhood?
Nope. It was Brandon’s funeral.
Since being a teenager, Brandon had struggled with his blood pressure. Even though he was physically in shape, doctors couldn’t get the blood pressure regulated or figure out what was causing the high numbers. On May 3, 2024, he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke on his brain stem. While hospitalized, Brandon had many more strokes, eventually succumbing to them on May 17, 2024. He was 39 years old and left behind his wife and three children, ages 12, 10, and 8.
As Katie began to plan the traditional funeral, it literally sickened her. Funerals are so
sad, somber, and morose. That wasn’t her husband. He was known for his infectious laughter, enjoyment of life, friendliness, and a host of other positive qualities. Planning a “traditional” funeral and dragging the kids through the depths of grief and sadness just didn’t seem fitting. Instead, she remembered that a funeral has FUN as the first three letters.
Let the FUNeral begin!
Traditionalists may be horrified by this. They may see it as sacrilegious, even blasphemous. I don’t know the spiritual condition of Brandon, but I know that for a child of God, while we do a good job talking about the joys of leaving this world and entering eternity, we don’t have too many FUNerals. We say we are celebrating the life and homegoing of our loved one, but it really doesn’t sound celebratory.
Solomon could be a bit of a gloomy gus in the book of Ecclesiastes. But listen to what he had to say as he wrote under the inspiration of God. In Ecclesiastes 4:2, he wrote, “Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive.” And, Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.”
Paul understood this. He said in Philippians 1:21-26, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (22) But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. (23) For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (24) Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. (25) And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; (26) That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.”
Please do not read more into this than you should. I am not denouncing the grief or the grieving. Nor am I suggesting we should all host FUNerals. I’m merely pointing out that the death of a saint is “precious in the sight of the Lord.” It is something to celebrate when we know that they are in the presence of Jesus and enjoying the sights and sounds of Heaven.
There is a poem that is often read at funerals. It says, “Don’t grieve for me for now I am free; I’m following the path God has laid, you see; I took His hand when I heard Him call; I turned my back and left it all.”
What happens next after the poem is read in its entirety? Grief. Crying. Sobs. Noses being blown. Just the opposite of what the poem said to do.
Katie said that when she looked through the crowd and saw her children laughing with their friends, playing, and putting finger paint handprints all over the casket, she couldn’t have been more thrilled. Brandon would have loved it.
Christians, there are no more powerful truths than these found in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8. “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (7) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) (8) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” And, you just can’t beat this truth found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “… and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/family-hosts-funeral-500-guests-dad-dies-featuring-paints-music-honor-him
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