Rites Of Letting Go – What Goes On In A Christian Funeral?

What goes on in a Christian funeral? For the men and women who belong to the Christian faith, a funeral honors and venerates the life of the deceased. Aside from celebrating the life of the man or woman who passed away, a Christian funeral’s other purpose is to reassure the individuals who are left behind that their dearly departed loved one is already with their Creator.

Christians are firm believers in the coming again of God’s son Jesus Christ. Moreover, Christians think that at the time of their deaths, judgment will be passed on the acts they have accomplished while they were still alive. They believe that it is through their kind deeds that they will be worthy of staying with God in his kingdom. Christians try to live out the examples of Christ in their day to day existence.

Christian funeral service for any devout Christian means a celebration of the soul’s eternal journey to the life after death. This is the main reason why such services are uplifting as they are looked upon as an assertion of the belief that the soul has obtained a shelter in God’s place.

Christians believe death to be an entry into the world of eternal bliss and exit from this world of grief and suffering. The intensity of pain caused by the death of a loved one is alleviated by the comforting thought that the deceased is enjoying a blissful afterlife in the Lord’s home with God Himself. The Christian funeral service is performed by the Christians keeping these beliefs in mind.

Generally, a Christian funeral ceremony is organized by the pastor. The services are mostly held at the very church that the deceased used to visit during his lifetime. Usually the services don’t have casket, but in case the service is being conducted in a funeral home, caskets are usually present. Traditional Christian funeral ceremony does not have the practice of exhibiting the body of the deceased person.

The funeral service is almost like a memorial, in which the programmes begin with chanting of hymns, a vocalist, and readings from the Bible. Then the priest gives a message and the attendees join in with a mass prayer.

After that comes the time of contemplation and sharing grief by friends and family members, when the people gathered voice their sentiments about the deceased and tell how the deceased has influenced them and has left a lasting impression. Nowadays, people also do a slideshow containing snapshots from the life of the deceased or play a pre-recorded video taken from his or her lifetime.

The ceremony finally ends with a short fellowship reception at the church, where refreshments are served. A graveside service is normally not included, but some Christian communities have this as well.

Death is a sensitive time. After all, funeral present the family with a need to transition into moving on with life. Get the best caskets for your loved one’s burial. This article, Rites Of Letting Go – What Goes On In A Christian Funeral? is released under a creative commons attribution licence.