Lessons from a Funeral Procession

Where I grew up people pulled over when they passed a funeral procession. There was an unwritten rule about respecting the dead and contemplating mortality. I fear things are changing.

As a pastor, I have been in several funeral processions. I'm usually between the police escort and the hearse, so I get to watch as people approach the procession. For some, as soon as they see the hearse, they move to the side of the road and patiently wait for procession to pass them. Others, begrudgingly follow the example of the those drivers, and pull to the side of the road. Some try to creep passed the procession unnoticed. Today, I witnessed a car keep driving as if everything was normal. Maybe they had an emergency. Maybe they were talking on their phone and didn't notice the police lights and the hearse with its flashing lights or the dozen cars crawling up the road with their lights on. But the sight saddened me.

It saddened me because it demonstrated a lack of respect for life (and death). It saddened me to imagine that we live in a world so busy we don't have time to pause a few moments and contemplate the deeper things of life.

Just because things change, doesn't mean respect has to die. We can keep a tradition of respect alive and well. I hope you will pull over the next time you see a funeral procession. Here are somethings you can do while you wait for the procession to finish passing:

1. Thank God that you are alive and well. Even if you are battling a serious illness, you are not in a box headed for your final resting place. God has given you the grace of one more day.

2. Resolve to make the most of the life you have been given. None of us knows when it will be our turn to die, so make the most of every opportunity.

3. Remember those you have lost and the ways in which they impacted your life. 

4. Contemplate your mortality and make certain you are prepared to stand before your maker.

5. Pray for the family and friends of the person in the back of the hearse.

The simple truth is that even the longest funeral procession will be passed you in a matter of moments. Life as you know will resume, but a new life is dawning for those in the funeral procession. It is a life with a hole in it. Your moments of discomfort on the side of the road serves as a silent reminder that their loved one truly mattered. Your display of empathy will also remind them that life in this different world is possible.