A Theology Of The Funeral

The Christian funeral must find ways to affirm Christian belief in Christ's victory over death, commend the deceased to God's mercy, and comfort the survivors. The key question to ask in focusing on the theology of the funeral is,"What belief does this ritual express regarding the community's understanding of God?" Egyptian pyramids and neolithic passage tombs stocked with food and material treasures tell us that those communities believed in a life beyond physical death which they imagined to be similar to earthly life. Christian funerals, by contrast, ought to express the community's belief in eternal life-that the dead have passed beyond the suffering, trials, and needs of bodily life into the realm of God where every tear will be wiped away (Rev. 21:4). If the assembly is clad in black, weeping, wailing, and not participating in the ritual at all, it is difficult to imagine that they believe their dead have triumphed and are living in heavenly bliss. There will, of course, be cul…