No Need to Lie
Grace Is Better Than a Polished Eulogy
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.” — Colossians 3:3–4
This has been the year of funerals. I’ve preached more of them and sat through more of them than in all my other years of ministry combined. That’s more cemetery processions, prayers of commendation, and waiting for grave diggers to finish their work. After one service, the family told me how much they appreciated the homily. And they were right. It was good. My reply, without thinking, was, “Well, it’s easier to write a good homily when you don’t have to lie about the person.” It was a quick deflection away from the preacher and back toward the deceased.
We’ve all been there. Sitting in the pew while the preacher describes the deceased in such glowing terms, you start to wonder if you’ve wandered into the wrong sanctuary. Did you show up at First Baptist instead of First United Methodist?
The temptation at funerals is to tidy up the truth. Smooth over the rough edges. Turn a complicated human life into a Hallmark special. But let’s be honest: if any of us were remembered strictly by the track record of our lives, we’d all come off looking pretty bad. Even the best of us are a strange mix of noble and petty, faithful and cowardly, generous and selfish. That’s the truth, and the truth stings.
And yet, here’s the gospel that interrupts every funeral: we don’t have to lie. The preacher doesn’t have to dress you up in virtues you never had. Christ tells the truth about us, and his truth is better than our reputations. It’s not that we are saints in ourselves. It’s that in Jesus Christ, sinners are loved, forgiven, and redeemed.
That means the real story of your life isn’t in your obituary or the pastor’s carefully chosen words. It’s in Christ’s cross and resurrection. Who you really are is hidden in him, and who you will be is revealed in him.
So here’s the good news: when the preacher stands at your funeral, they don’t have to lie. They can tell the messy, complicated, grace-soaked truth. And in Christ, the truth will be enough. And frankly, if the preacher does lie about you, it won’t matter. You’ll be in no position to complain. But Christ will be there to tell the truth. And his truth is the one that saves.