German Funerals

Yesterday I attended my first German funeral. The mother of an acquaintance from church passed away on Thursday. Although she was only 59, the sad mood of the day was tempered by the knowledge that she had accepted Christ as her savior just a couple of months previously and was now at home after 3 years of battling cancer.

I really wanted to be in Hessen (almost 3 hours south of Köln) to be supportive. The only problem was that in Germany, especially in small towns, it is required that everyone wears solid black for a funeral. I didn't have a single outfit that fit the bill. Thankfully I was able to piece together something appropriate with the help of friends. When we arrived it seemed as if the entire town (which I think only numbers a few thousand) had turned out for the occasion. The funeral home was too small to accommodate everyone, and dozens of people stood outside the doors to hear the sermon through the help of loudspeakers. The service was very much like one that might be given in the US, although this is the first I have been to with a choir. Afterwards we went to a reception hall for coffee and cake.