What do you say when a family is grieving and you have been asked to preach? How do you honour the person who has died, make room for sorrow, and speak of the hope of Christ without offering easy answers?
In this vintage Expositors Collective interview, Paul talks with Mike Neglia about the work that happens before a funeral sermon is written: being present with the family, listening to their memories, and understanding whom you are preaching to. They discuss the place of a eulogy, how to offer biblical hope without speaking past people’s grief, and what a pastor can say when the deceased’s faith is uncertain. Paul also reflects on particularly painful circumstances, including a death by suicide.
This is a conversation for pastors and preachers who want to serve grieving people with honesty, tenderness, and confidence in the resurrection.
About the guest
Dr Paul Beasley-Murray is a Baptist minister, former principal of Spurgeon’s College in London, and former pastor of churches in Altrincham and Chelmsford, England. He has conducted hundreds of funerals and written extensively on pastoral ministry. His book There Is Hope: Preaching at Funerals draws on that experience to help preachers prepare biblically grounded, compassionate funeral sermons.
Resources
There Is Hope: Preaching at Funerals — Paul Beasley-Murray, published by IVP: https://ivpbooks.com/there-is-hope
A Loved One Dies: Help in the First Few Weeks — Paul Beasley-Murray’s free booklet for grieving families: https://www.paulbeasleymurray.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/A-Loved-One-Dies.pdf
Paul Beasley-Murray’s website: https://www.paulbeasleymurray.com/
“Preaching the Gospel at Funerals” — Brian Croft, 9Marks: https://www.9marks.org/article/preaching-the-gospel-at-funerals/
“On Funerals” — Preachers Talk, episode 56: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1IDYkfjCE7XWyvAaRvEU9m
