I Did It My Way

You know, working as a musician at a church comes with it's wonderful tasks, like playing music for an Ordination service or a wedding.  It also comes with obligatory duties like playing music at a funeral for someone you didn't know.  Normally I participate with full attention to every detail as if they were a family member.  Most of the services I do for people I don't know are a close relative of a parishioner. But every now and again, there is an exception to the rule. A person who comes to our church in despair and wants a service for their recently deceased loved one, to which we normally acquiesce.
In this particular case, the person who came to us had one time attended our church several years ago and thought it was nice. She went so far as to say the music at our church was by far the best she had heard in many years. Great. It really made me wonder if she thought our church was so great and the music was great, why had she not returned? I guess we all get busy on the weekends, and we probably mean to come to church.
I was asked to play a few songs, mostly hymns, as usual. People who have not been in a church in many years think this is the only music the church has, or it is the only church music they are familiar with.  Then I was told a young man would come play a song as well. Ok.
The day of the funeral is at hand, the church begins to fill with people I have never met. The young man who is to sing a song at the time of the start of the service is a no-show.  As the service gets underway, I see him arrive with his friends. He has an electric guitar and amp. He carries it to the front of the church and sets it down. Then he sits down without setting anything up.
Flashback. Right before the service started the woman approached me and the Pastor and wanted to make sure we would handle all the "religious stuff".  It was here I realized they really had no hope for the service they asked for. Despite the fact the young man, who I let use my acoustic guitar to save time, played a very strange version of "Let it Be" using a harmonica attached to his neck like a not-so-talented Bob Dylan. There was no hope for good music. There was no hope for any of them participating in the service.  Can I get an Amen? Uh, that would be a NO.
The service ended with a great song. Elvis Presley singing "I Did it My Way".  I looked over at my Pastor who was staring down at his Bible, probably praying the song would end soon.
Not exactly what the church has in store for us is what I thought. If you really did it your way, what hope is there to meet God in your finest moment and have Him say "Well Done!" Why do people who never trusted God in their living years come to a church when it is over? I really wanted to ask them why they felt it was important to have a church service, but figured it wouldn't help anyone. Hopefully God has grace for the human race, but I sure wont be taunting Him when I meet Him by saying I did it MY way.