tlag1986
Gold Member
- 1,572
As a young minister in Kentucky , I was asked by a funeral director
to hold a grave-side service for a homeless man, who had no family or
friends. The funeral was to be held at a new cemetery way back in the
country, and this man would be the first to be buried there.
I was not familiar with the backwoods area, and I soon became
lost. Being a typical man, I did not stop to ask for directions.
I finally arrived an hour late. I saw the backhoe and the open grave,
but the hearse was nowhere in sight. The digging crew was eating lunch.
I apologized to the workers for my tardiness, and I stepped to the side
of the open grave. There I saw the vault lid already in place. I assured
the workers I would not hold them up for long, as I told them that this
was the proper thing to do.
The workers gathered around the grave and stood silently as I
began to pour out my heart and soul.
As I preached about 'looking forward to a brighter tomorrow' and
'the glory that is to come,' the workers began to say 'Amen,' 'Praise the
Lord,' and 'Glory!' The fervor of these men truly inspired me. So, I
preached and I preached like I had never preached before, all the way
from Genesis to Revelations. I finally closed the lengthy service with a
prayer, thanked the men, and walked to my car.
As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I heard one of
the workers say to another, “I ain't NEVER seen nothin' like that before,
and I've been puttin' in septic tanks for thirty years!”
to hold a grave-side service for a homeless man, who had no family or
friends. The funeral was to be held at a new cemetery way back in the
country, and this man would be the first to be buried there.
I was not familiar with the backwoods area, and I soon became
lost. Being a typical man, I did not stop to ask for directions.
I finally arrived an hour late. I saw the backhoe and the open grave,
but the hearse was nowhere in sight. The digging crew was eating lunch.
I apologized to the workers for my tardiness, and I stepped to the side
of the open grave. There I saw the vault lid already in place. I assured
the workers I would not hold them up for long, as I told them that this
was the proper thing to do.
The workers gathered around the grave and stood silently as I
began to pour out my heart and soul.
As I preached about 'looking forward to a brighter tomorrow' and
'the glory that is to come,' the workers began to say 'Amen,' 'Praise the
Lord,' and 'Glory!' The fervor of these men truly inspired me. So, I
preached and I preached like I had never preached before, all the way
from Genesis to Revelations. I finally closed the lengthy service with a
prayer, thanked the men, and walked to my car.
As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I heard one of
the workers say to another, “I ain't NEVER seen nothin' like that before,
and I've been puttin' in septic tanks for thirty years!”
