Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Reasons the Church Needs to Be More Open about Death
How do churches acknowledge death? Most announce deaths. Host the funeral. Provide the meal. But I wonder if the church ought to do more. Especially because of our children.
My kids were raised around death. Not just in our family and not just our pets. But since I am a preacher, they heard lots of conversations about death and dying. Went to a lot of funerals.
Our children need to process death. Not just euphemisms or ignoring their questions. Children should be welcome at funerals. They ought to hear more celebrations of the memory of people that have died celebrated. They need to hear what the Bible says about death.
Here are a few reasons why.
They are going to see death. Family members. Classmates. Neighbors. Church family. News. Better for them to have a healthy knowledge than try to explain everything for the first time when it happens.
Christians have a different, and correct, view of death. If we do not teach our people the truth about death, they will learn a different view from the world. Just for example, much of the world fears death. And in much of the world, life is not valued. But as Christians, we value life that does not end. And death is not something to be feared.
Talking about death helps our children see the value of faith and Jesus. We Christians always talk about death and resurrection. Life never really ends. It just ends in this world. But there is a better world coming. The world where we see God face to face. The world where there is no pain or sorrow or tears. A world to look forward to as believers.
Talking about death, resurrection, and faith reminds us that we will be with loved ones again. That is comforting.
And our children and young people need to know that life is not certain.
They need to begin learning that we live to die to live.
And they must know that there is a better place than this world. Kids do not have to be very old to begin realizing something is wrong in this world. We Christians do make this world a better place, but it will never be what it should be. Our world is fallen and broken.
Some of our kids and grandkids may well be threatened, even martyred, for the sake of the Kingdom.
And they need to learn to grieve with hope. Hope of the resurrection. Hope of heaven.
