We never look forward to the death of a loved one. Yet it is a sad fact of our fallen and broken world that death will come for us all, unless our Lord Christ returns first. The Funeral Service in the church is intended for those who depart this life in the Christian faith. As a rite of the church, the funeral is first and foremost a worship service with the Risen Christ as the focus, and His work for the deceased and for all people expounded upon for the comfort of the bereaved.Because of the focus on Christ Jesus, and because of the nature of the time of mourning and for good order, funerals conducted at Zion are most properly offered for members of our congregation. It is always fitting to conduct a funeral service for a member in the church, for the imagery of the deceased being before the font and altar from which he received the gifts of God is a sure and certain comfort to the bereaved.