Friday, April 18, 2008

If you don't laugh over this one, then you don't have a funny bone.

Country Funeral

As a young minister in Arkansas , 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!"



5 comments:

Tom said...

LOL Stunning Patty..

Sister--Helen said...

a good chuckle

Merle said...

Dear Patty ~~ This is a beauty. Thanks for the chuckles., Merle.

Tomate Farcie said...

Hahahaha!!!! Too funny, thank you!

Renie Burghardt said...

I found it very funny!

You have another blog? I'll have to check that out soon. Almost time for bed. Well, after the Pope departs.

Night, all!

Renie