Wednesday, December 8, 2010

What Occurs In A Christian Funeral?

By Sam Garner


Individuals who belong to the Christian faith believe in Jesus Christ's coming again. Christians also believe that the deeds that they have accomplished in the world will be evaluated at the time of their demise. They believe that it is by their deeds that they will be worthy of staying in the kingdom of God. The lessons of Jesus Christ are the guiding principles that Christians try to live through in their day to day lives.

For a god-fearing Christian, a funeral ceremony is a celebration of the deceased's journey into the after life. It is for this precise reason that such services are very spirited, as they are an assertion of the belief that the deceased has found a permanent abode in the House of God.

According to the Christians, death is an entry into the world of eternal bliss and exit from this world of grief and suffering. That the soul is enjoying the bliss of heaven and is residing with God Himself is a comforting thought that absorbs the severity of the shock that death brings to the family members. The Christian funeral ceremonies are organized with the same spirit.

Generally, a priest is the prime official at a Christian funeral ceremony. They are usually conducted at the church which the deceased used to visit when he or she was alive. Generally the services do not have casket, but in case the service is being held inside a funeral home, caskets are very often present. Viewing of the deceased's body is generally not found in a conventional Christian funeral service.

The proceedings in such a funeral ceremony are more like a memorial, in which religious songs and prayers are sung and lines from the Bible are read out loud. Then the priest gives a message and the people follow with a mass prayer.

Next the family and relatives share their sorrows with the group, and the people express their feelings and respect for the deceased and share their ruminations on how the deceased touched their lives and left an everlasting void. Nowadays, people do a slide show of photos or play a pre-recorded video of the dead person taken during his or her lifetime.

The ceremony finally ends with a short fellowship reception at the church, where food is served. A graveside service is generally not included, though some people do opt for that as well.




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