We have been constantly reminded of the brevity of life as a funeral service takes place at Christ Church every other week. It is rare that the service is only for one person. We have been to funerals for 3 and 5 people at a time and Rev. Nyarko has done a funeral for as many as 9 at a time. The reason for this is that tradition maintains that a person is buried in their hometown. Therefore, most of those being buried had moved away and were not current members of Christ Church before they died. After the funeral the church processes to the burial field in a manner that is far from glamorous. Up until this experience I had not attended many funerals, let alone had the opportunity to speak at one—which was afforded to me at Christ Church.
As a minister, you must be sure of what you believe about the afterlife before you stand before a crowd of mourning people to give them hope. As Christians, we have the hope of seeing God face to face and being in the presence of the Lord forever after our time on earth is finished. We are aliens in a foreign land, waiting in great anticipation for our complete inheritance as citizens of heaven. I find that your faith is put into action at a funeral service because it is at that point that you must decide if you believe in the truth of who Christ is and what he came to do.
It is not surprising why much of the evangelistic effort of churches is placed on the after life. We desire to have the security and hope of the unseen reality of heaven offered through Christ. Jesus is at times presented as the “ticket” to eternity and that’s why we should follow him. While eternity is a major part of the Christian life, (and I for one have been to the altar a few times just to be sure) it is not the only part. As Christians, as Christ followers, the reality of the kingdom of heaven is supposed to begin while we’re on earth. Even if I was convinced that all were already going to heaven I would still preach Christ crucified. Why? Because I believe in the transformation power of Christ in our world today. Jesus does not just offer eternal life after we die, but he offers a life of purpose and wholeness that seeks to bring God’s kingdom to earth here and now. God’s kingdom is a kingdom of peace, joy, love, healing, justice, and mercy, just to name a few. In what ways are we as Christians bringing the reality of heaven to earth right now? This can only happen when we allow the Spirit of God to transform us daily into the likeness of Christ. When we allow this process to happen, not only will we be changed, but our world will be better for it.
Beautiful, Val : ) Thanks for sharing.
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