Note: Alan is recovering from a recent accident. The following is adapted from a recent memorial service he conducted.
Introduction. When a person dies, it is customary for those who knew them to gather together in remembrance. These gatherings have different names (e.g., "funeral", "memorial service", "laying to rest") and have different ceremonies depending on the person, their religious background, and the culture. But they all share some things in common.
A Reminder of Death. Simply speaking, funerals are a harsh reminder of the reality of death. We often push this fact out of our minds in our day-to-day living. We try to postpone it with diet and exercise. We cover up signs of its approach with cosmetics, hair dyes, and plastic surgery. But God wants us to be reminded by death that this is the way of life. He revealed to us:
Introduction. When a person dies, it is customary for those who knew them to gather together in remembrance. These gatherings have different names (e.g., "funeral", "memorial service", "laying to rest") and have different ceremonies depending on the person, their religious background, and the culture. But they all share some things in common.
A Reminder of Death. Simply speaking, funerals are a harsh reminder of the reality of death. We often push this fact out of our minds in our day-to-day living. We try to postpone it with diet and exercise. We cover up signs of its approach with cosmetics, hair dyes, and plastic surgery. But God wants us to be reminded by death that this is the way of life. He revealed to us:
- To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; Eccl 3:1-2