A friend of mine named Sam had what was possibly the most unpopular booth of all at “Showcase” (our local trade show) this year. If you were there, I guarantee that you noticed it.
Candy apple booth (Yum!)… Hot tubs (Fun!)… Jewelry (Interesting)… Big screen TV and Rider game (Coo1)… Funeral planning booth (Ugh!).
Sam said that it was interesting to watch people’s reactions. While some people stopped to talk to him, many either avoided eye contact or avoided the booth altogether. Some joked, “I don’t need that yet” or “I sure don’t want to talk to you”.
Part of the problem, I believe, is our society’s “arms length” attitude to death and dying.
Think about the old days on the farm. People used to butcher their own animals. Now we purchase meat in vacuum packs. Death is no longer a visible part of our every day life.
In the past, when a loved one died, the family prepared the body and hosted the funeral. My Grandma still remembers her dad’s funeral that was held in the living room of the family homestead near Arcola. Now, we hire professionals to take care of the arrangements and details for us.
Things have become easier, but not necessarily better. We seem less willing to deal with death and dying than ever before. Yet, every one of us is going to die someday (Unless Christ returns first), so it probably makes sense to be preparing for that event. You can deny it, ignore it or avoid it, but it will happen.
Personally, I do not care whether you preplan your funeral or not, but I do care that you think about what happens after you die.
The Bible teaches that Christ’s death provides us with the gift of forgiveness and the hope of eternal life with God (John 3:16; John 14:1-4; Romans 6:1-4).
As the old time preachers used to say, “Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people”.
The time to prepare is now.
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
Candy apple booth (Yum!)… Hot tubs (Fun!)… Jewelry (Interesting)… Big screen TV and Rider game (Coo1)… Funeral planning booth (Ugh!).
Sam said that it was interesting to watch people’s reactions. While some people stopped to talk to him, many either avoided eye contact or avoided the booth altogether. Some joked, “I don’t need that yet” or “I sure don’t want to talk to you”.
Part of the problem, I believe, is our society’s “arms length” attitude to death and dying.
Think about the old days on the farm. People used to butcher their own animals. Now we purchase meat in vacuum packs. Death is no longer a visible part of our every day life.
In the past, when a loved one died, the family prepared the body and hosted the funeral. My Grandma still remembers her dad’s funeral that was held in the living room of the family homestead near Arcola. Now, we hire professionals to take care of the arrangements and details for us.
Things have become easier, but not necessarily better. We seem less willing to deal with death and dying than ever before. Yet, every one of us is going to die someday (Unless Christ returns first), so it probably makes sense to be preparing for that event. You can deny it, ignore it or avoid it, but it will happen.
Personally, I do not care whether you preplan your funeral or not, but I do care that you think about what happens after you die.
The Bible teaches that Christ’s death provides us with the gift of forgiveness and the hope of eternal life with God (John 3:16; John 14:1-4; Romans 6:1-4).
As the old time preachers used to say, “Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people”.
The time to prepare is now.
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
Comments
As long as you have access to reliable information when the time comes, I don't feel people need to pre-plan their funeral.