Death Where Is Your Sting

1 Thessalonians 4:13

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

For those that haven’t noticed our society is in the midst of a social revolution. Sexuality is not the only thing that is in the cross hairs. As pregnancy and infants are devalued to the point they are destroyed and cast aside, is it any wonder that those elderly people no longer able to care for themselves are also being encouraged to end their lives, with the promise of “physician assistance”? Yet, even more quietly is the revolution in another critical part of our society one that has been transpiring quietly and relentlessly for half a century until most do not even question what was appalling. Maybe liquification, the new green alternative, of the body is still to far for you but cremation is okay. A pagan practice done by the church once only done in symbolically sending individuals to hell. This practice now reins supreme in our society as the cheapest and easiest way to deal with the body that constitutes part of the image of God.

Of late I have taken to watching quick 10-15 minute YouTube videos on differing point of historical minutia. One of these dealt with Princess Olga of Kiev who was a queen in the late 10^th century. She converted to Christianity but her son was the king and did not approve of her conversion and hindered her from spreading Christianity in his kingdom.  Her life was a fascinating tale, but the commentator, Simon Whistler, made a specific note that stuck with me of her death he noted that “her son did allow a Christian burial rather than a pagan celebration”. From all that I can tell that commentator is not a Christian or anything of the like, and yet he noted a distinct difference between pagan and Christian funeral practices.

This is what I wish to address today. Even as a pagan commentator helped me to crystalize my thoughts, it was brought to the for hearing how these pagan’s celebrated and the Christians buried. They had their own beliefs about afterlife and existence, they new that good people would be treated well “in the end” and as such, since they were also good, the living would meet them one day again, “on the other side”. Christian Funerals and burials are on the outs in our society. Celebrations of life are in. Dead bodies should not be seen, nor should death be contemplated. Let us ignore the realities of aging, hide our dying away in nursing homes and destroy all vestiges of that death as quickly as possible. What becomes of a society whose members never face the reality of their own mortality? What happens when Christians would rather not morn the loss of friends they may never see again, or at least not for along time. Even as Christians are joyful that they will jump from their graves to meet Jesus in the sky, we morn that sin and death has one the day.

When Paul tells us “not to grieve as others do who have no hope” what does that mean? As this commentator noted, pagan’s have celebrated the lives of those who have died for millennia. How is Christian mourning to be distinctly different from those who have false hope? Can we see any difference between a believer’s funeral and the pagan’s “celebration of life”? Is our faith and witness so watered down that there is no discernable difference between the two in our society? Believe it or not you will die. Have you thought of how the witness of that body will point to Christ? Have you taken steps to insure it does, as others will be left to do as they see fit, and those making those decisions may not be of a mind to honor Christ, choosing instead to honor you? Does Christ own you, BODY and soul?

CORAM DEO