March 12, 2012
Dearly Departed
I’ve often heard it said that a funeral service should be for the
living, rather than for the dead. At a recent funeral the casket with the body
was present, but there wasn’t a lot that was actually said about the deceased.
The service really was more about the pastor, the family in video slides and
the messages through prerecorded songs. For me there seemed to be a void
because so little was said about the deceased. But then I remembered the words
of the angel at the tomb, “He is not here,
he has risen, just as he said.” (Matt 28:6 NIV) Certainly my dearly
departed had already departed and it really was about the family that was left
behind.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----Love is kind of a goal. When you see it in all its parts and pieces the Bible talks about, it looks a lot less like a lofty concept, and a lot more like a way of being involved in good things happening to the people around you. Another thing the Bible talks a lot about is dying to yourself daily, putting to death what is sinful in you. I think it's a way of making room for more love in us. But at any rate, it seems that if we really did put sin to death daily, after a few years there wouldn’t be much of it left.
-----But there seems to be a disappointing abundance of it tagging us around far too long. I am sure there isn’t some kind of other resurrection at play here. So there must be something else. Maybe we don’t kill it until we are sure it is really, really, most verifiably dead. And what would verify the death of a sinful way? Well, probably the better treatment enjoyed by the others around you.
-----Funerals are necessary, I know. But I try hard to avoid them because the guy is dead and whatever happens to his body or is said over it isn’t going to mean anything in particular to what he faces next. I am amongst those who believe funerals are entirely for the benefit of the survivors. And I recognize the grievance in missing someone who was a joyful part of your life and all. But I think more important is the joy of getting on with life as a survivor and the joy the deceased finds in not havening to live by the sweat of his brow forever. Thus a finality is marked: good for the dead one, its over, and good for the survivors, life really, certifiably has presented itself as not having being totally about the dead one after all.
-----In this same sense, maybe our sinful aspects would not crawl out of their graves so much if we all would call up a good funeral service for a brother’s sinful aspect noticeably put to death. It would seem a bit of loving good done for him. It would rather verify the death, if not certify it. And it would certainly mark the finality of life not having been about the dead aspect after all. And although these things have a way of getting at least a hand or a foot out of the grave now and again, it would at least drive a couple extra nails into its coffin. But most importantly, it would assure a continuous festival of potlucks, cakes, and pies.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Post a Comment