She would have laughed infectiously at the sight, had she been there. The old saying goes "you would be late for your own funeral" and she was! This was a woman who loved Jesus and had a great sense of humour – I wouldn't be surprised if she had left word for the undertakers to be 20 minutes late.

When I say she was late for her own funeral, I do of course mean that her remains were late – she had 'moved house' the other day and left her shell to be buried.

I have two overriding memories of her – her laughter and her tears. She was always laughing, and found something funny in every circumstance. She was able to turn those 'tipping-point' moments that can go either way, into a time of pleasant emotional release where everyone laughed with her.

Her tears are also indelibly in my memory as I heard her pray for her husband and children – some of whom did not know the Lord as Saviour. I wasn't conducting this funeral – I was a guest, visiting out of respect for an old friend, but the Pastor spoke well. He held nothing back and was refreshingly frank about the state of some in the room - he said exactly what she would have wanted him to say.

The overriding thought in my mind was why do we often conceal the truth at funerals? She was with the Lord in Paradise, but many in the room were never going to see her again unless they made a life changing decision to follow Jesus of Nazareth. God forbid that I should not make it totally clear!

There is a God and a devil. There is a heaven and a hell. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus, and there is no arbitrary measure of 'good' by which people get into Paradise. Some people sat through the funeral and heard the good news about Jesus Christ, ignoring it, in the warped belief that they would see her someday. Other people were more concerned with ancient feuds with someone at the other side of the church. The fact was that she was dead, and we all will be one day. Who is preparing for that day?

The percentage of people in the UK that are making provision for their retirement is alarmingly low. The percentage that are making preparations for their death is even lower. It seems a shame to have even 70 or 80 years on this earth doing what you want and then spend the rest of forever tortured in a fire that never goes out.

When we know the goodness of God and the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ, we have a clear responsibility to tell others that they need Him. This isn't a matter of a simple life choice that decides by which philosophy we live – this is an eternal matter which will have an unchangeable effect on our indestructible soul. I am reminded of George Whitfield who when he preached would sometimes don a black cloth on his head, like a judge, and declare that his listeners were condemned. Many ran to the front and asked God's forgiveness for their sin.

I condemn no man, but I know that:

A lake of fire and eternal separation from God awaits those who ignore Jesus Christ . The Christian gospel makes the choice clear, and we must not allow it to be watered down. Let the fear of God once again blow over our communities, and may we be so stimulated by it that we can't keep ourselves from telling our loved ones, our neighbours and everyone we meet.

The only one who ever overcame death, is Jesus. He will overcome death for each of us too, if we turn our back on our sin and follow Him. Let's not miss out on knowing God ourselves or on sharing the truth of His love for all mankind. But it is also true that without choosing Jesus all mankind is off to "hell in a hand cart". Think about the verse my Pastor friend started the funeral with: it was: