A friend of mine used to preach a sermon entitled, ‘I want my flowers before I die.’
Just before he stood up to preach, he would slip a wreath of flowers around his neck. Then he would preach the whole sermon wearing the wreath. It was an unforgettable message.
Its theme was simple. Why wait till I am dead before you say nice things about me? Why not say them now? It made a lot of sense. We usually save our eulogies until it’s too late.
‘Eulogy’ comes from the Greek word for ‘bless’–or ‘to speak in such a way as to do someone good.’
You can’t do someone much good after they are dead!
Now is the time to speak well of each other. Now is the time to bless one another with words of love.
God freely blesses us over and over again by telling us all the great assets that are ours in Jesus Christ. We can do the same thing for those around us.
One of the most popular children’s films was Walt Disney’s Bambi. Do you remember the advice given to the little rabbit Thumper? He was always taught, ‘If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all!’
It’s wise counsel.
To read more on this topic see Living in the Image of God, Barry Chant (Miranda: Tabor, 2012 available in eBook and Paperback) from which this edited extract is taken.