Do Christians Have Funeral Services?
Christians are firm believers in the coming again of the Almighty’s son Jesus Christ. Moreover, Christians think that at the time of their deaths, judgment will be passed on the deeds they have accmplished while they were still alive. It is their faith that the good deeds that they have accomplished will make them worthy of sitting next to God. Christians strive to live by the lessons of Jesus Christ in their day to day lives.
Christian funeral service for any god-fearing Christian implies a celebration of the soul’s eternal journey to the life after death. Funeral services and ceremonies are uplifting, owing to the strong belief that the departed soul has at last found a permanent home in God’s place.
Christians consider death as an exit from the world of pain and an entry into the world of everlasting bliss. That the soul is enjoying heavenly bliss and is residing with God Himself is a comforting thought that lessens the severity of the trauma that death brings to the family. The Christian funeral ceremony is organized accordingly and with the same spirit.
Generally, a priest is the prime official at a Christian funeral ceremony. The funeral service usually takes place at the church of which the deceased was a regular visitor. Usually no casket is used in the service, but there are exceptions to this, particularly when the service is conducted inside a funeral home. Viewing of the corpse is not something that you will find in a conventional Christian funeral service.
The funeral ceremony is more of a memorial, in which the proceedings start with singing of hymns, a soloist, and religious readings from the Bible. Then the pastor delivers a message and the attendees join in with a mass prayer.
Next comes the time of contemplation and sharing grief by family and friends, when the people assembled voice their sentiments about the deceased and tell how the person has influenced them and has left a deep impression. Some families also plan to organize a visual display of pictures of the deceased or play a recorded video from the life of the departed.
The last leg of the ceremony is the serving of refreshments at a reception conducted very often inside the church itself. A service at grave is not very common, though some Christian communities opt for that too.
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