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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade -- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith -- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

New birth. Lots of people have the same reaction to the idea of new birth as Nicodemus did when Jesus discussed it with him, they are confused by it. It doesn't compute to them. One woman in my congregation asked me to preach about being born again. I did. After the sermon she said to me, "Pastor, I listened to that sermon from beginning to end and I don't understand being born again any better now than when I started." I realized then that not only did that sermon need some work, but that many people in our culture simply have a hard time grasping the idea. Christians, and especially those of us who preach and teach, need to carefully explain this wonderful gospel truth.

Funerals present a great opportunity to share this message. Listeners are often very vulnerable and open to hearing at such times. So use this text to talk about new birth. Talk about how God can take all the old, painful, deadness in our lives and replace them with newness. Talk about how brokenness can be healed, and about how darkness can be overcome. Talk about a new direction in life; new priorities; new purpose; and the wonderful new hope of eternal life.

Talk not only about the fact that this life is now being experienced by the one who has passed away, but that it is also being kept in heaven for each of us and that it does not ever spoil or fade away. It is being kept for those whose faith makes it possible for them to receive. Talk also about how this wonderful hope enables us to go through the toughest of times on this earth. Trials cannot steal the gift away. In fact, trials, according to this passage, strengthen and prove our faith. Trials are part of the process that each of us goes through in being convinced that the gift awaits us.