Eulogies are an important part of the grieving process when a loved one dies. Sometimes people write their own eulogies ahead of time so that their loved ones do not have to do this.
I am fascinated by the many different kinds of eulogies you find. Some are very brief, others are lengthy especially when the person was part of a large family, was active in a lot of different organizations or worked in a variety of jobs.
Some eulogies simply give the basic information about the person’s life while others are more in a story form that includes a descriptive and colorful sharing about that person’s life. A lot of times, the way the eulogy is worded is a reflection of that person.
There’s really no one way to write a eulogy. A standard question to think about in writing a eulogy is if it reflects who that person truly was.
After doing a little research on the history of eulogies, in its earliest form, a eulogy was meant as a speech of praise or affirmation not for someone who had died, but for someone who was still living. It was only later, that eulogies were written primarily for those who had died.
The word, “eulogy” comes to us from the Latin word, “eulogia” which literally means to praise. When we offer a eulogy for someone, it is to offer praise and thanksgiving for a person’s life.
I say all of this because of our appointed New Testament reading today from Ephesians in which Paul praises the Gentile believers in Christ. In writing this letter, the Apostle Paul is expressing how he wants to meet them some day. He has heard of their faithfulness to Christ.
In our Ephesians scripture reading that was read for us, Paul continues his praise and eulogy of them by writing, “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.”
These Christians are living as “holy ones” who are embracing the inheritance of the life abundant they have received and are making their existence known by the way they love and serve God and God’s people.
Paul wants them to know that they are part of God’s plan of salvation, and they are called to continue the legacy of faithfulness in living out the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what they have been doing as saints now.
On this All-Saints’ Sunday, we offer a collective eulogy of praise to those who have gone before us. We are thankful for those who have faithfully lived and died. We will be remembering them a little later in our worship service thanking God for how they have enriched our lives and the life of our church.
I like to think of All Saints’ Sunday as a day the church sets aside to join the Apostle Paul in offering a eulogy for the saints, both past and present. Hearing how those who have gone before us have been a blessing in the ways they have lived out their faith inspires us in our own walk with Christ.
This Sunday is always bitter/sweet time for us because on one hand we have heavy hearts because of those who are no longer with us physically, but we also celebrate how we have been enriched through their faithfulness to Christ. This day inspires us to follow in their example by setting our hope in Christ, as Paul writes.
The advantage of writing our own eulogies before we die is that it helps us to think about the spiritual legacy we want to leave behind. And when we can name that legacy, it can remind us again and again of the kind of life and faith that we are called to live each day.
The Apostle Paul is giving us a starting point to help us write our eulogies when he reminds us that we are a people who have set our hope on Christ, that we have been sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit, and of our calling to grow in our faith in Christ and of our love for others.
That’s a pretty good start in writing a eulogy! We already know who we are and how we are to live because we are a people of faith.
Whenever we gather for worship, we are reminded of our eulogy through the scriptures, the hymns, our offerings, and the prayers. All of these worship components serve to remind us of who we are and who we are called to be.
We are to live to the praise of God’s glory. This is the eulogy of the saints who have gone before us and for us as well as we live out our faith.
Yes, we can include in our eulogies a listing of our family members, our jobs, and our hobbies, but at the heart of the saints’ eulogy is in how we have lived out the good news of our faith by loving God and serving others. That is at the heart of what it means for us to continue the legacy of those who have gone before us.
So, what would a saint’s living eulogy look like today? What would be included in a church’s living eulogy? I wonder if this is what would be written about us as a church:
Once upon a time, when some people moved to this area to start a new community, they decided to build a church. It would be a church that would serve as the social hub of the community. Everybody attended worship on Sundays and other events during the week.
It was a time when families enjoyed eating meals around the table, laughing, and spending time together. And even though people had their different opinions about life, politics, and religion, they always did their best to listen and respect each other.
But gradually over time, life became more complicated. People started feeling more anxious and fearful. They weren’t always as respectful when someone offered their differing points of view. Schools that once felt safe now had to have new security measures in place.
To make things even more challenging, national politics became extremely divisive and people became even more set in their ways.
During this very challenging time this church remembered that God was still with them. And even though there were many changes happening around them that were beyond their control, they discovered that they could offer a safe space for people to feel welcomed and accepted.
Marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, with their hope set on Christ, and claiming the inheritance that awaits them to the praise of God’s glory, this church has been able to weather many storms.
Not only has this church overcome challenges that have come their way, but they have also learned to rely even more on God’s strength and guidance.
This is a church that continues to remember the immeasurable greatness of the power of Christ at work in and through them.
Today, on this All-Saint’s Sunday, we give thanks to God for the eulogies of the saints who have gone before us, and we continue to write our living eulogies as we follow in their footsteps.
In a church that I served, one of our older church members told me that their Sunday School class topic the past couple of weeks has been on how to write their own eulogies. And at first, it surprised me that this was their focus, but this church member went on to tell me that the class wanted to talk about this topic because it often doesn’t get addressed.
Our society tends to avoid conversations around death, grief, and loss but our faith has a lot to say about these issues. She went on to tell me that these discussions have helped her to think about the spiritual legacy that she wants to leave behind.
Maybe there is something to writing our own eulogies. It helps us to focus on what kind of person we are striving to be now. Do we live in such a way that people can see that we have set our hope on Christ? This is what the Apostle Paul can see in the Ephesian Christians, their faith in Christ and their love toward others.
What do we want people to say about us in the way that we lived out our faith?
So today, let’s raise a toast to all the saints of God who have gone before us and whose faithfulness to Christ has been a tremendous example for us.
And let’s raise a toast to those of us here today who are following in their footsteps as we seek to live out our faith in loving others with the love of Christ, and in always striving to be the people that God is calling us to be.
To all God’s saints, past, present, and future on this All-Saints Sunday. Cheers!
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