I went to a funeral a couple of weeks ago for a young man that was my daughter’s high school classmate and my son’s close friend. He died in a car accident at the age of 23. I can’t think of anything more difficult for a parent to do than bury his own child. The service was a somber reminder of how quickly life can end. It was also a wake-up call for us to be prepared for our own last days.

The pastor’s message was based on the young man’s confirmation passage from Hebrews 13:5. It says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” It was a fitting reminder that God keeps his promises—the promise to forgive sins, the promise to always be with us, and the promise to take us to heaven.

A Christian funeral is a unique mix of sadness and joy, hope and confidence. It was sad to say goodbye to somebody who had so much life to live. At the same time, it was joyful to understand that he was already in heaven with his Savior. It seemed natural to wonder if life would ever be the same for the people he left behind. Yet, we returned to our own lives confident that God would bring comfort to his family and friends.

Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” From the night he was born until the day he died, Jesus was focused on one thing—to save us from the sadness of sin and the sting of death.

During this Christmas season Christians will celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. Let’s not forget that His birth was just the beginning. He grew as a perfect child; he matured as a perfect man; he died as a perfect substitute. Finally, He was raised as the perfect atonement for all of our sins.

The young man who was recently buried now has perfect understanding of Jesus journey from the cradle to the grave. As the pastor closed his sermon he said, “I only hope that Jesus will do today what each of us would have liked to do, and that is to wish Ryan a happy 24^th birthday.”

Daniel Madson is a former school teacher and now a member of Abiding Shepherd Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.