Most of us want to live a “well-lived” life. When I am “on my game” I want to do that for God’s glory, and not my own.

There are events in our lives that have a way of bringing into focus how well we have lived. A funeral is, perhaps, the ultimate event on this earth which brings this into focus. Today we come to a funeral—Abraham’s.

Births, baptisms, graduations, weddings, funerals… these milestones give us cause to reflect intentionally on the guest(s) of honor. They are typically (or at least, hopefully!) joyful occasions filled with praise and positive memories. Friends and families gather, but sometimes they do so for better or for worse! Relationships can be… well… tricky, can’t they?

“Can’t I stay up for just 30 more minutes?” Ever heard that request from one of your kids? Ever made that sort of a plea to your parents when you were growing up?

As we get older, we weave logic into these pleas. We point out that we did all our chores, or that our friends get to stay out later, or… You know what I am talking about.

This sort of wrangling takes on a different tone in the Bible. A tone that makes me a bit uncomfortable.