It's atypical wisdom suggesting that going to a funeral is a good thing—despite the prefix of the word "funeral" is "fun" (and it's really not a prefix at all).
A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of laughter. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:1-5 MKJV).
Life is short. The two who recently passed away and whose funerals were so close together were 85 and 92, respectively. If I knew today that I would live to be 85, that would give me 39 years from this point on. I might want more. Isn't it funny that older people often say things like: "Time flies!"
Hardly anyone needs to have this fact of life's brevity pointed out, but sometimes the reminder is very helpful. And so we should strive to remember this and live by being helpful to others, kind, merciful, loving, and compassionate.
It's easy enough to accept that everyone is going to die, but it's a mighty big step in understanding to get to the point that "I" am going to die. It's going to happen—as Bertrand Russell put it, "There's an amazing statistic among men: one out of every one dies." It really doesn't take someone as SMRT (think Homer Simpson) as Russell to inform us of this truth.
Funerals remind me of the general statement: "Live in such a way that, when you die, and the preacher preaches nice things about you, no one's going to wonder if it was really you."
And in this we shall know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him, that if our heart accuses us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not accuse us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment. And he who keeps His commandment dwells in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He gave to us. (1 John 3:19-24 MKJV)
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