Joel M Bradshaw

2It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.
3Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. 4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.–Ecclesiastes 7

As a pastor I have officiated many funerals. My favorite reminder when giving the little funeral sermon is this line: we are still here. A funeral is a perfect place to ponder the scope of one’s life. Gathering to remember the life of someone who has died causes you to naturally consider your own days. What a time to ponder God and eternity! The Gospel message might take root in a funeral setting because you allow yourself to get serious with yourself and your situation.

At a party a person usually pursues some kind of avoidance or escape from themselves. They are having a rough season and so they unwind and let themselves go a bit. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but ultimately the answer to our deepest struggles is found in God. I will seek God more at a funeral than at a party. I will more naturally consider my days and turn back to God when in mourning versus when feasting.

The point of this passage isn’t to load your schedules with funerals and avoid celebrating. It’s to ponder which perspective is better. The funeral perspective soberly reflects. The feasting perspective escapes and lets go. Both have their place in life. But which one ultimately is better for the scope of your life. I love to party, but the funeral has the bigger payoff for your thought life. The funeral might lead me closer to God. The party leads me closer to myself. The perspective of the funeral more easily teaches me to deny myself in following Jesus than the party in which I might not deny myself at all.

I would rather be known as someone who maintains the sober reflection of the funeral and SEEK GOD’S APPROVAL than as the reckless party-goer who escapes my situations and numbs the pain with THE APPROVAL OF OTHERS. Parties are obviously more fun than funerals and nobody should look at them the same way. But which is a better feeder for your perspective?–JMB