Family Gives Love Not a Bill
"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake." -- 2 Corinthians 4:5
I learned something really disturbing yesterday. It truly offended me, which is something few things do anymore. Maybe it's just me. But there's something about a preacher charging to speak at the funeral of a church member that just turns my stomach.
Let me give you a little background. The elderly woman died in December. She'd been a member of a certain church for longer than I can remember. Her daughter and son-in-law also are members of this church. They raised their children, who are my age, in that church.
When the elderly woman died her family naturally scheduled the funeral for the church. The pastor preached. The associate pastor spoke and sang. The pianist played. And the family paid the pastor $150, the associate pastor $100 and the pianist $50 for their services.
I always believed that part of a pastor's job is to bury members of that church. Apparently not. Who knew? It honestly never occurred to me that a pastor charges to speak at a church member's funeral.
I can maybe understand paying the pianist. Though in this case even that is difficult to swallow. I can't imagine charging someone I've known my entire life for my part in her mother's funeral. I just don't need money that badly. I pray I never do.
I realize that for this family spending the money is not a hardship. That isn't the point. A grieving family deserves to be surrounded by their church family. That's what it is. Family. It's why we take food and offer hugs. A pastor is the spiritual leader of that family. You just don't charge people for some things in life. Preaching the funeral of a fellow church member is one of them.
Let me give you a little background. The elderly woman died in December. She'd been a member of a certain church for longer than I can remember. Her daughter and son-in-law also are members of this church. They raised their children, who are my age, in that church.
When the elderly woman died her family naturally scheduled the funeral for the church. The pastor preached. The associate pastor spoke and sang. The pianist played. And the family paid the pastor $150, the associate pastor $100 and the pianist $50 for their services.
I always believed that part of a pastor's job is to bury members of that church. Apparently not. Who knew? It honestly never occurred to me that a pastor charges to speak at a church member's funeral.
I can maybe understand paying the pianist. Though in this case even that is difficult to swallow. I can't imagine charging someone I've known my entire life for my part in her mother's funeral. I just don't need money that badly. I pray I never do.
I realize that for this family spending the money is not a hardship. That isn't the point. A grieving family deserves to be surrounded by their church family. That's what it is. Family. It's why we take food and offer hugs. A pastor is the spiritual leader of that family. You just don't charge people for some things in life. Preaching the funeral of a fellow church member is one of them.
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