The funeral

[silkprint]

A young preacher was asked by a funeral director to hold a graveside service for a man who died with no family or friends. The funeral was held way back in the country and the young preacher got lost on the way. When he arrived an hour late, he saw a backhoe and crew towards the very back of the cemetery, but the hearse was nowhere in sight. The workmen were eating lunch.



The diligent pastor went to the open grave to find the vault lid in place, but still he poured out his heart and preached an impassioned and lengthy service. Returning to his car, the young preacher felt that he had done his duty and he would leave with a renewed sense of purpose and dedication, in spite of his tardiness.



As he got into his car, he overheard one of the workers talking in a very serious voice to another worker: “You know, I been puttin’ in septic tanks for 20 years, and I ain’t never seen nothin’ like that before.”