Funeral sermons are an important part of the grieving process. In order to reach out to non-believers and bring them closer to God, many pastors choose to write a sermon specifically for non-believers. The following are some of the best funeral sermons for unbelievers.
Right here on Churchgists, you are privy to a litany of relevant information on best sermons for unbelievers, short sermons for funerals, encouraging funeral sermons, and so much more. Take out time to visit our Website for more information on similar topics.
Funerals are very important in Western culture. But what happens when the person who died was an unbeliever? How can we turn a funeral into something more? We must rethink the purpose of a funeral, and tackle common misconceptions surrounding funerals. Here are some of my tips for writing a Unitarian Universalist funeral sermon.
We all know that funerals are not fun—unless you’re the one in the casket. But what if you don’t believe in an afterlife? How can you come to terms with your own mortality? We’ve compiled a list of some of the best funeral sermons for unbelievers so that you can honor your loved one’s memory while still remaining true to yourself.
We’ve also included some tips on how to make sure your funeral is as secular as possible, so that it doesn’t feel like a religious ceremony at all.
Funeral sermons are difficult to write. In a world that has become increasingly secular, it can be difficult to find the right words to say at a funeral, especially when the deceased was an unbeliever.
That’s why we’ve decided to write this blog post—to help you find the right words. We’ll share some of our best tips and tricks for writing an awesome funeral sermon for unbelievers!
Funeral sermons for unbelievers is a topic that’s becoming more and more common and relevant in our culture.
Funerals are a time to remember the life that was lived, and to celebrate the contributions of the person who has passed away. But what if that person didn’t believe in an afterlife? What if they didn’t believe in God?
In this blog post we’re going to explore why it’s important for funeral services to be inclusive of all beliefs—even if those beliefs don’t include a belief in God.
Best Funeral Sermons For Unbelievers
The best funeral sermons for unbelievers are the ones that are honest and human. This means they should avoid all religious language and focus instead on the person who has died and what he or she meant to you.
You don’t have to be a Christian to write a good eulogy. In fact, it’s better if you aren’t, because then you won’t be tempted to fall back on the same old clichés that everyone else uses when talking about death and dying.
Instead of telling your audience that this is all part of God’s plan, or that Jesus will take care of us in heaven, try describing what happened in your own words. The best funeral sermons for unbelievers describe how the deceased impacted your life, or how much they meant to you—not how their death made them into a saint or hero.
Introduction
Let us know if you need help writing a funeral sermon for an unbeliever. Unbelievers are like every other person. They were born and lived their life until they died. They have family and friends who mourn their loss, but the difference between them and other people is that they did not believe in God or Jesus Christ. This guide was designed to give you some ideas to help you write your funeral sermon for an unbeliever:
Funeral Sermon For Unbelievers
> > This is a funeral sermon for unbelievers. If you are a believer and have been hurt by the things I say here, then I apologize. But if you’re not a believer, then this is for you. I don’t want to hear about how “God works in mysterious ways” or how “bad things happen to good people.”
> > The only explanation for life is that it happens because nothing else can. You wouldn’t ask why gravity works; it just does because it has to work that way. The same goes with life: there’s no reason why we’re here except that somebody had to be here in order for us all to be here! It’s simple logic—it has no explaining force behind it whatsoever. There isn’t some higher power guiding your life; there aren’t any gods looking out over all things human; there isn’t anything special about your existence other than what’s right here—right now—in front of you and me both!
short sermons for funerals
This sermon for unbelievers is short and sweet. It’s only going to take you about five minutes, but it has a lot in it. It’s simple, too—simple enough that anyone can read it aloud without seeming out of place at a funeral service.
This message will help you remember that everyone who has ever lived on Earth has been loved by God and Jesus Christ since the day they were born, just like all of us are today. It reminds us that death isn’t the end—it’s just the beginning. And when we die, we will be with God forever in paradise because He loves us so much!
You can use these sermons for the service of an unbeliever.
You can use these sermons for the service of an unbeliever.
You can use these sermons for the service of a person who was not a believer.
You can use these sermons for the service of a person who was not a Christian.In fact, one of my best friends is an atheist and has been offered this book by her daughter to help her understand what it means to die as an unbeliever and how she can give meaning to death in her life without faith in Jesus Christ.
Encouraging funeral sermons
Scriptures: Mark 4:35-41
Introduction
The Sea of Galilee is a sparkling jewel in the northern part of Israel. It is not large. It’s more like a lake than what we think of as a sea. Only thirteen miles in length, seven and one-half miles at its widest point, surrounded by hills, including the Golan Heights, it was the chief source of revenue for its fishermen, of pleasure, and of beauty for those who lived around its shores. Jesus made his headquarters here. Many of his miracles and much of his ministry took place here. He called the early band of brothers, his disciples, from this area.
Seeking a break from the demand of the excited crowds that had begun to follow him, Jesus took a boat, and with some of his disciples, drifted off for some rest and relaxation. But suddenly their leisure day was disrupted by a violent storm. This was not unusual. The sea is 680 feet below sea level, surrounded by hills that send the cool air from the heights of Mt. Hermon hurtling through their ravines that serve as giant wind tunnels to collide with the warm, moist air flowing east from the Mediterranean Sea. The result can produce a very dramatic storm. In that sudden storm, Jesus did an astounding thing. And in that we learn some things that counsel us in the light of the devastating experience that we seek to navigate through in these days.
I. No guarantee against the sudden
First of all, we are reminded that although the Sovereign of the universe is on the boat, it is no guarantee against the sudden—in this case, a sudden storm (v. 37). It has been the mistaken notion of many that if a person is a faithful follower of Jesus, he or she is protected from the troubles of life. Their children will be successful, sickness will never come their way, their financial ventures will always succeed, and disappointment will never knock at their door.
A quick look at some of the men and women who knew and served God in the Scripture will reveal the falsehood of this belief. Joseph went to prison. Job lost everything but his life. Jeremiah was put in prison. Paul had an affliction that plagued him all his life. All of the original disciples were martyred for their faith in Jesus, except one. And he was an exiled prisoner. Jesus never promised a “rose garden” tour of life. However, he did promise, “I am with you” (Matt. 28:20). It may be tough to be in a storm with Jesus, but imagine being in one without him.
II. It may appear God isn’t doing anything
Second, it may appear that in these sudden experiences of life that grieve us and threaten our sense of God’s nearness and care that God isn’t doing anything (v. 38). These experienced, veteran fishermen were thoroughly frightened. Their lives were on the line, yet Jesus appeared to be sleeping through the situation.
In life, things come at us that we cannot control. Some things come through the actions of other people, and some things in life are never explained. God seems to be silent when we long for a word. One theologian, in facing this dilemma, said that “sometimes the silence of God is God’s highest thought.” (Helmut Thielick, source unknown)
Like these hardy fishermen, we protest the seeming inaction of Jesus when he seems to be asleep at the wheel of our lives.
III. Fear can replace faith
Third, we can respond like Jesus’ disciples. Fear can replace faith. Jesus did hear their cries for help. He sprang into action. He spoke, and the winds ceased and the waves curled up around his feet like submissive tigers under the voice of their trainer. He then asked a penetrating question, “Why are you so afraid?” There are three words for fear in the language of the New Testament. Here Jesus used the one that is always used in a bad sense.
The men were deeply terrified. When fear comes, faith is removed. We live in a world with much to cause fear: the fear of terrorists, of illness, of losing our jobs, of being victimized by brutal criminals or white-collar fraud. Fear can immobilize us as it did Jesus’ companions. When fear knocks, we must send faith to answer the door. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7 KJV).
When the sudden comes in our lives, the Sovereign Savior is looking for us to look at him. They had seen Jesus do mighty things in recent days. They knew he had the power to heal the sick and cast out demons, but their faith trembled at this unexpected turn of events. In the light of his power and faithfulness in the past, Jesus asked, “Do you still have no faith?” (v. 40). Jesus challenges us to look deep within us and remember some things that can turn our pain, our grief, our questions, and our uncertainties into the beginning of healing in the face of this unanticipated event.
IV. Jesus hears our cries
We are to remember that although Jesus did not hear the howling storm, he heard his disciples’ cries. Much as a mother hears the cries of her baby and a shepherd hears the bleat of the sheep, so does Jesus hear our cries. “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear” (Isa. 59:1).
V. Sudden storms serve to turn us to Jesus
Sudden storms also serve to turn us to Jesus (v. 38). We can be so caught up in everything else in life that God is moved into the edges of our existence. It doesn’t happen quickly. But gradually the joy of knowing and serving him evaporates from our lives. Then the sudden storm hits. Before the storm we had forgotten what God looks like and now, in the storm, we turn to see him again.
VI. Storms don’t last forever
This story tells another helpful truth: storms don’t last forever. In certain localities in this country and the world, as on the Sea of Galilee, a storm can brew within a matter of minutes and hurl its fury in torrents of rain, lightning flashes, and thunder. Then it’s over. One minister said his favorite text was, “It shall come to pass” (Acts 2:17 KJV). So, too, will the turbulence through which we presently walk. The pain will linger, but its power will be softened.
VII. God will assist others
The Sovereign of the Sudden does something else in our storms. He will assist others—who see us coming through our assault—to be blessed in the storms they are facing. When Jesus’ boat started across the lake, “there were also other boats with him” (v. 36). They became survivors, too, because Jesus worked in the one and the overflow of protection encircled the others. People watch how we deal with our crises. Is God real in our lives? Is the faith we have practiced, sung about, and shared with others robust enough to take this blow?
A couple had prayed for a baby boy for years. God answered them after several childless years with a girl. A few years later, a boy arrived. But in his preschool years, he became violently ill one afternoon. He was immediately rushed to the hospital. The trauma team did their best. After a couple of hours, a doctor approached the mother with the news that the child’s condition was critical. He would either die, or be physically disabled for life if, by slim chance, he survived. He turned to walk away while family and friends stood in stunned silence.
Suddenly, the mother called the doctor to come back. She said, “Doctor, thank you for what you’ve done. This child belongs to God. We prayed for him. God gave him to us. We gave him back to God. If God takes him, he’s okay. If he leaves him, that’s okay. If he chooses to take him, we’re okay.” And they were. And “other boats” were heartened by their experience.
VIII. The sovereign of the sudden is in control
Finally, storms remind us that the Sovereign of the Sudden is in control (v. 41). The disciples were overwhelmed by what they had seen. They had a new fear: a reverential fear. They had seen Jesus, with a word, rebuke wind and waves. They were reminded that the Sovereign of the Sudden is in control when everything else seems to be totally out of control. That boat could not sink because God’s plan for the world was on it. Someone has said, “No water can swallow the ship where lies, the master of heaven, and earth, and skies.” (Mary A. Baker, “Peace Be Still,” 1941)
God’s plan and purpose for our loved one and for our lives are not subject to whims, accidents, circumstances, illnesses, and evil. God works through these to bring about his will. We stand on the assurance, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isa. 43:1–3).
David Watson was the dynamic pastor of the St. Michael’s Church in York, England. Large crowds filled the sanctuary week after week to hear him call them to faith and fellowship with Jesus. In the prime of his life, Watson was diagnosed with cancer. The people prayed, and he fought it. But, in the end, it ravaged his body and he went home to the Chief Bishop of his soul.
The following Sunday, a cherished friend was asked to lead in the worship and the communion service. When he stood to speak, emotion overcame him as he thought of the absence of his recently deceased friend. He wept, as did the grief-stricken congregation. Then someone thought about a phrase that David often used. Sometimes, even in the middle of a message, Watson would shout, “Our Lord reigns!” Quietly, but strong enough to be heard, he said, “Our Lord reigns.” Another picked it up. Then another joined them. Soon the packed sanctuary was filled with hundreds of voices, chanting together on their feet, “Our Lord reigns!” For minutes, it rocked the cavernous worship hall. Applause and cheering broke out.
Depression gave way to celebration. The Sovereign of the Sudden was, is, and always will be in charge. In our pain and sorrow, we stand on the everlasting truth, “Our Lord reigns!”
Conclusion
I hope you have been able to find some useful information and help in determining your funeral sermon needs. That’s all for today!