What Is The Guiding Belief In Christian Funerals?
How do Christians honor their dead? Generally, the Christian funeral service is not a somber event but is focused on remembering the life lived by the departed person. Moreover, a Christian funeral service hopes to give a message of assurance to those left behind that the departed is finally in paradise with the Almighty.
Christians are firm believers in the coming again of God’s son Jesus Christ. Another belief of Christians is that the deeds that they have done in their lifetime will be judged in their moment of death. They believe that it is through their good deeds that they will be worthy of staying with God in his kingdom. The teachings of Jesus Christ are the guiding principles that Christians strive to live by in their day to day lives.
Christian funeral service for any devout Christian implies a celebration of the soul’s eternal journey to the life after death. It is because of this exact reason that such services are very spirited, as they strongly assert the belief that the deceased has found a permanent abode in the House of God.
Christianity perceives death as a new beginning, wherein the soul is delivered from the world of suffering to the world of everlasting bliss. That the soul is enjoying the bliss of heaven and is with God Himself is a relieving thought that lessens the severity of the shock that death brings to the family. The Christian funeral service is performed by devout Christians keeping these beliefs in thought.
Usually, a Christian funeral ceremony is organized by the pastor. The services are often conducted inside the very church that the deceased used to visit when he was alive. Usually the services don’t have casket, but in case the service is being conducted inside a funeral home, caskets are usually present. Public viewing of the corpse is generally not found in a conventional Christian funeral service.
The proceedings in such a funeral ceremony are similar to a memorial, in which religious hymns and prayers are sung and lines from the Bible are read out loud. A short message is delivered by the priest, after which a mass prayer is held.
Next the family members and close friends share their grief with the gathering, and the people express their feelings and respect for the deceased and share their thoughts on how the dead person touched their lives and left an everlasting void. Nowadays, people do a visual display of photographs or play a pre-recorded video of the dead person taken when he was alive.
The service finally ends with a short fellowship reception at the church, where refreshments are served. People do not choose a graveside service normally, but there are some exceptional cases.
Death is a sensitive time. Give your deceased loved ones the funeral they deserve with a peaceful funeral service.
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September 15th, 2011 at 12:41 am
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October 24th, 2011 at 7:19 pm
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