The Funeral

[Intro - Spoken]
Let me tell you about a man, Tommy Collins, a veteran in country music who interrupted his career by his own choice to become a minister, and by the way I understand he was very successful, and during this period of his life Tommy pastored a small Baptist church in the very small town of Lincoln, California

And it was during this time that he was called upon to speak at a funeral and the poem I want to recite for you now is a true experience of Tommy's and it's simply called "The Funeral."

[Verse]
A funeral is always a saddening thing
For everybody is somebody to someone
But some funeral scenes chill you to the bone
And one day in our town, we had one
A very young mother had died
Something that you just don't expect
And the shops and stores had all closed their doors
They did it out of love and respect
And in the crowded funeral home that day
With everyone present weeping
The sound of a little girl's voice was heard
She said, "That's my Mommy, she's sleeping"
Then I heard the sound of her little feet tap tap tap
As she made her way down the aisle
Her little purse dangled from her tiny wrist
And it brushed her best Sunday dress
And she boldly asserted the confidence
That little folks like her possess
To the life that has no final chapter
There's no ending and no last mile
The preacher and the rest were petrified
But on the little girl's face was a smile
She said, "Wake up, Mommy, wake up"
And still not satisfied, she reached out with her little hand
And touched her face and cried
Then the broken-hearted Daddy spoke
With a gentleness and with power
And the words that issued from his lips
Was the sermon for the hour
In a child-like faith, he told her
That the dead in Christ will rise
"God gave us His word," he said
And we know he never lies
We can't wake up our sleeping Mommy
But we know someone who can
Baby, only God can wake up Mommy
Let's go home and leave her in His hands"