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 does it reflect who that person truly was?
After doing a little research on the history of eulogies, in it’s 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 reading their names 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 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 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 reading of 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 called Athens, 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, a global pandemic added even more stress to an already polarizing time. Schools, churches, and businesses had to learn very quickly new and creative ways of operating.
During this very challenging time this church remembered that God was still with them. And even though there were many changes they needed to make during the pandemic, they discovered that some of these changes were a blessing in disguise.
Now, instead of only the people who were physically able to attend church on Sundays, were able to worship in their homes by watching the live-stream of the service on their computers and TVs.
They started having zoom bible studies that led to people from out of state and even outside of the country to be able to participate. They found ways to provide meals to the community by offering a curbside pick-up option.
When they wondered if people would keep supporting the church financially especially in the first several months of the pandemic when they were not able to have in-person worship, the faithfulness of the people never really wavered.
Not only did they continue to support the monthly operations of the church, they also ended up giving away approximately $80,000 a year in support of local and global mission work.
Members continued to arrange and deliver flowers to the patients at the hospital. They made blankets for the police and sheriff departments. And they gave prayer shawls to people to remind them of the prayers and support of their church family.
The people in that church found ways to continue to safely meet for prayer, support one another through small groups, and have choir practices. Even the church’s toys which had been tucked away in bins somehow found a way to make special appearances and bring a smile to the faces of the congregation. “Church Toys to the Rescue,” they would exclaim with glee!
Yes, this was our church for the past two and a half years. During one of the most challenging times this church could remember, with the exception of the fire that destroyed the previous building back in 1955, the people of the church persisted in being the people God had called them to be.
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 not only survived, they thrived.
Not only has this church overcome challenges that have come their way, it has grown over the years in affirming and believing in the sacred worth of each person as a recipient of God’s love and grace. The church has sought to always be open and inclusive of all people regardless of gender, race, national origin, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status or economic condition.
This is a church that continues to remember the immeasurable greatness of the power of Christ at work in and through them.
I offer this living eulogy to all of you today and I invite you to write a living eulogy about our church as well.
Today, on this All-Saint’s Sunday, we give thanks to God for the eulogies of the saints who have gone before us. We continue to write our living eulogies as we follow in their footsteps.
And after more than 200 years, may the living eulogy of our church continue to be written for years to come as we seek to be faithful to Christ and to be the people God has called us to be.
A Living Eulogy
God of ages past and hope of days yet to come, we come into your presence with joy and thanksgiving. For those who have gone before us, we gratefully remember their wisdom and love. For those who follow after us, we fervently pray for their growth in faith. For those who are here now, we offer you our lives, that we may be faithful disciples of your love in such a time as this. We confess that we often forget that we are all your saints together. Empower us by your grace to live up to this calling that you have given to each one of us. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
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