Plan your funeral

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

 

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:12-26 (ESV)

 

That's a longer than normal introductory verse for my monthly Pastor's Note, but I just don't think it could be put any better. In these words, God gave us a clear message through the Apostle Paul about what the Christian faith is really and truly all about. These words bring into sharp focus the goal of God's plan of salvation for us in Christ. We are promised the forgiveness of sins and the fruit of that forgiveness. Just as we confess in the Nicene Creed, "[We] acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and [we] look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come."

 

In Romans 6:23 we are told that "the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Another way to put this is:

 

Sin = death (and eternal condemnation)

 

Forgiveness = the undoing of death (and eternal salvation)

 

Simply put, Christians are resurrection people, with a resurrection faith. Jesus Christ came to free us from sin, death, and hell. He did that by living the perfect life, dying in our place as the perfect sacrifice, rising victorious over death, and promising us that He who has the power to defeat sin, death and Satan, has given us the victory over the same through baptism into Him and faith in His name.

 

With all of that in mind, I would encourage every Christian to meet with your pastor to plan your funeral. He should be able to help guide you through Scripture passages and hymns to make the service a beautiful witness.

 

The Christian funeral is a service of the Church held in honor of those who have departed in the Christian faith, meant to comfort their loved ones with the Gospel of forgiveness, resurrection, and eternal life in Christ. Hymns and music in the Funeral Service should reflect our Christian confidence in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Christians can choose hymns and Scripture readings for their Funeral to stand as a final witness to family, friends, and neighbors of the blessed hope that they are now resting in until the day of the resurrection.

 

This is a blessed thing to do. It makes the task of the loved ones who we have left behind much less stressful and confusing because they don't have to guess what you would want. It is one less thing for them to sort through during a time of mourning.

 

But above all it bears witness to the sure and certain hope that we have in Christ Jesus our risen Savior.

 

Living Forever, Now,

Pastor Grannis, St. Paul Lutheran (LCMS), Waseca