One of the things I do at funerals is to tell stories. Stories that invite the listener into a better place and time. Stories of hope. Stories of courage and sometimes stories of fear, but fear faced. I usually share a scripture or two or three, but the stories are what people remember.  Actually, I think they remember how the stories made them feel more than the words themselves.

I try to help people face what they really feel, giving them permission to feel a lot of things even if they seem inappropriate. In this part of the country, feelings are kept under control a little more than say back east in Jersey where I grew up. But people still have them and I try to give them stories that allow them to take off or lift their masks a bit.

You probably don't look for stories for a funeral sermon since you don't have time usually, so keep your eye out for them now as you're reading. When the time comes, you'll have them at a moment's notice.  Many deaths come quickly.