Union Evangelical Lutheran Church

What you need to know about Our Funerals  
(reprinted from the March, 2000 Newsletter)

THE PASTOR'S PEACE

This month, I want to address the area of funerals. This is an area where we have some built-in prejudices, and I, as a pastor, admit to having my own as well. However, the attempt to educate is always tempered by assisting the family to fulfill their desires at the time of a death.

  • What is a funeral service? The funeral service is a celebration of the life of a faithful disciple of Christ who has departed this life.

    The promise of Christ is one that is shared with His people through Baptism. It is a promise that is reaffirmed in each life through Confirmation. It is celebrated each week during our worship. The Order for the Burial of the Dead is a liturgy of the Church that celebrates the life of the deceased and the hope of Christ for the living. As a liturgy of the Church, it is most appropriate to be celebrated in the Church. Only the Church sees death as a rite of passage from mortality to immortality; from the temporal to the eternal; from an earthly existence to a divine one.
  • Where should the Order for the Burial of the Dead be held? The service is designed to be held in the Church as a liturgy of the Church. It is modified and used in the context of a Funeral Home or at the Graveside.

    Within the context of the church, hymns (particularly those related to Easter and victory of over death) are sung by the faithful as expressions of the hope we share in Christ.

    In the church, Holy Communion-the feast of victory for our God-can be celebrated and brings home to those who are mourning the hope we share in Christ. The casket is closed and draped with a pall-a festive garment-to symbolize the cloak of victory that covers the reality of death. The Christ Candle is lit and placed at the casket as a reminder of the Light of Christ that shines in our world-even in the darkness of death.
  • Must the service be held in the church? No. There may be reasons for a family not wanting to come to the church for a funeral service.

    However, let me have the privilege of sharing my own prejudice here. I was baptized in the church, confirmed in the church, married in the church, worship God regularly in the church. When I die, I want the last stop I make before going to the grave to be-the church. The church, like no other place, roots the hope and life I have lived-it is the place I want my family to celebrate my life and the promise of victory over death.
  • Should I share my desires regarding my death? And, with whom? Persons who make "pre-arrangements" for their funeral do their families a great service. It is a difficult time for families when a loved one dies and there are many decisions that need made. Making pre-arrangements for everything from the details at the Funeral Home to the worship service gives the family less to have to deal with. However, not everyone can do this because it also brings us face to face with our own mortality.

Enclosed in this issue of the newsletter is a copy of a "Funeral Worship Planning Information Sheet." - [to be added ] Additional copies of this sheet can be obtained through the Church Office. This provides some very helpful information and can be filled out and kept with other documents to be used at the time of death. It can also be copied and filed with the Church Office and the Funeral Home of your choice. Included with the worksheet are suggestions for scripture readings and hymns. And, if you have any questions or would like some assistance in filling this out, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The Funeral Liturgy is a celebration of life that was lived in Christ and the homecoming for a life now living with Christ. Thanks be to God!

In Christ's Peace,
Pastor Moore
March 2000

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