Distracting Issues

Carl Trueman wrote an article regarding entertainment in the church distracting Christians, and others, from seriously considering the greater issues of living and dying for Christ.  His observation relating to funerals is as follows:

“Pascal observed the problem in seventeenth-century France when he saw the obsession with entertainment as the offspring of the fallen human desire to be distracted from any thought of mortality. “I have often said that the sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room,” he said. And: “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for miseries, and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.”

But he might well be taken aback that the churches have so enthusiastically endorsed this project of distraction and diversion. This is what much of modern worship amounts to: distraction and diversion. Praise bands and songs of triumph seem designed in form and content to distract worshipers from life’s more difficult realities.

Even funerals, the one religious context where one might have assumed the reality of death would be unavoidable, have become the context for that most ghastly and incoherent of acts: the celebration of a life now ended. The Twenty-Third Psalm and “Abide with Me” were funeral staples for many years but not so much today. References to the valley of the shadow of death and the ebbing out of life’s little day, reminders both of our mortality and of God’s faithfulness even in the darkest of times, have been replaced as funeral favorites by “Wind Beneath My Wings” and “My Way.” The trickledown economics of worship as entertainment has reached even the last rites for the departed.”

Recently, a relative of my wife and a former co-worker of mine, died.  He had only recently retired and was enjoying “the good life”.  By all appearances he was unsaved and unprepared for eternity.  After inquiring about funeral arrangements I received an email stating:

“…..family will hold a Celebration of his life on Wednesday, …….. at (a local supper club/restaurant)  from 1:00-5:00PM. All are welcome to dress casually in Hawaiian Attire and an open microphone will be available for story-telling. In lieu of flowers, Memorials in ….. name are requested for the ……. Women With Courage Foundation.”

Entertainment and distraction.  This is all the unsaved have.  Can one imagine the thief on the cross being content with the distraction of a “celebration of his life” or an “open microphone available for story-telling”?  Absurd.  He, and others surrounding him, needed to hear about the One who provides Life in spite of death.  The One who demonstrated His overcoming death by His resurrection.  The celebration of life is in the resurrection not in death.  Death is our enemy but the One who overcame death is our Friend.  Death cannot provide any hope for the future of my soul.  Christ can.

Read Carl Trueman’s article at http://www.firstthings.com/article/2013/05/tragic-worship

A Tale of Two Funerals by Gene Edward Veith

Along the theme of my last post is the following article by Gene Veith that I've been saving for the appropriate time.

A young man I knew died in a tragic traffic accident. His death was utterably sad. At his funeral, his friends were all wearing T-shirts adorned with his picture. At the front of the church were heaped up flowers, footballs, and stuffed animals. On top of his coffin was a picture from his senior prom.

The service began with a recording of his favorite song, a heavy metal power ballad. The preacher gave a eulogy, praising how the teenager was such a good friend, such a good person, recounting some of the funny things he used to say, telling about the dreams he had for his life. Everybody in the church was crying.
Then his best friend got up to say a few words. He was sobbing. He finally croaked out his good-bye, as the congregation joined his sobs. His girlfriend recited a poem she wrote about how much she loved him. Then, the boy’s grief-stricken father had to get up in front of everybody to talk about his son.

As if all of this emotion were not wrenching enough, the funeral director next played a video, showing highlights of the boy’s life — his baby pictures, playing with his friends, enjoying Christmas with his family, waving at the camera.

There was not a dry eye in the house. People said what a beautiful funeral it was.

Another funeral I attended was of another young person who died a tragic death, one that was even more senseless and horrible. She had been raped and murdered by a serial killer. (I was one of the elders on duty. My job was to keep the news media away from the family.)

At this funeral, the congregation sang old hymns. They were in a minor key, but the lyrics centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The grievers joined together in a responsive reading of the Word of God.

The pastor, garbed in black, read more texts from the Bible. Instead of a eulogy, the pastor recited the facts of the girl’s life, emphasizing her baptism, her catechesis, her confession of faith. He described how she joined the church, her confirmation, and her regular reception of the Lord’s Supper.

The pastor, preaching from the Bible, gave a sermon on our travails in this wicked world, on how the Son of God entered our sinful condition, how in His sacrifice and His promises, we have a sure and certain hope that this poor child has entered into everlasting joy. The justice of God will be manifest, and so will His mercy, and He will wipe away every tear.

We sang some more hymns. The mood was sad and somber, but the Word of God that permeated the whole service was like a lifeline. Or, rather, like a strong arm supporting us in our grief. Yes, we cried, but the funeral gave us strength.

Our culture does not know how to handle death. We insulate ourselves from it. The dying pass away out of sight.

We are terrified of death. And so we sentimentalize it.

The contemporary funeral deals with grief by indulging it, even feeding it. A successful funeral — with its heart-wrenching personal testimonials, its parade of mourners pouring out their anguish, the emotional manipulation of the congregation — works by creating an emotional catharsis. The upsurge of feeling can indeed feel cleansing. As at the ending of a tragedy, the emotions are purged. The bereaved feel drained. The aftermath, in Milton’s words, is “calm of mind, all passions spent.” The grievers really do feel better. But how different is a traditional Christian funeral.

In a Christian service of the burial of the dead, the mourner’s grief is fully acknowledged and shared. But it is channeled into contemplation and prayer. The grievers are given not catharsis but consolation.

That consolation is not to be found in how good of a guy the dear departed was. Even Christian funerals sometimes miss this point.

My former pastor refused to deliver eulogies. It is not fitting, he would say, nor is it comforting, to dwell at a funeral on the dead person’s good works. When we die, we dare not stand before God claiming how good we are. So that must not be the emphasis at a funeral.

The dead person’s only hope is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is the only hope of the grievers at the funeral, who, having been forced to confront the reality of death, tend to be uniquely receptive to spiritual truth.

My pastor would deflect attention from the person who died to the Person who died and rose again. He would preach Jesus — the cross, the atonement, the imputation of His righteousness, the resurrection — as the victor over death, hell, and the grave.

He would not preach this into a vacuum, but into the hearts of the grieving family and friends. He would connect Christ’s resurrection to the resurrection of their loved one and to theirs.

We did not leave this funeral drained, but comforted. He moved us from desolation to faith. We still hurt, but we were given hope, not in ourselves — at a funeral we experience as at no other time our frailty and helplessness — but in Someone stronger at a time when we need strength.

Posted on May 30, 2013 at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2013/05/two-kinds-of-funerals

Death of a Loved One

A Lady was buried today.  Not just any Lady but a special friend of my children and grandchildren.  She was a twelve year old Basset hound – the family pet and was much loved.  They wanted to bury her next to where the childhood St Bernard of my children was interred many years ago.  A fitting tribute to both dogs.  Side by side as testimonies to pets who were greatly loved and appeared to love (in dog fashion) in return.

As my grandson was digging the grave and later helped in making a monument board I had the opportunity to remind him of the author of death – sin.  Because of Adam’s sin physical death entered into the human equation. The Bible tells us, and human experience verifies, that death is inevitable for all – including the flora and fauna of this earth.  We may not be able to escape physical death but it will not be permanent.  Though the wages of sin is death in this life the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord in the life beyond this one. (Romans 6:23).  Death for the believer is a passing from this existence into the next reality.  Contrary to modern skeptics death for the unregenerate unbeliever is an eternity in Hell (Revelation 20).

In the past I have pondered (my favored pastime) if our family pets and other animals will be with us in heaven?  The Bible does not state they will and I’m content with that.  I do know however that without a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ through repentance and faith no human being will be in heaven.  Ponder that.

Worship and the Movies

I was having a good Sunday morning the other week.  It wasn’t necessarily the weather or the newness of spring morning but I was looking forward to gathering with other Christians and entering into a time of worship and praise to my Lord.  I was anticipating meeting those who regularly attend church and was happily surprised when those who are usually late arrived early.  And as I settled in the pianist began playing the prelude to worship and I began to prepare my mind and heart for the morning service.  Then, as our custom is, a small bell was rung calling everyone to prepare for the worship service to begin.

But all this was overshadowed by loud conversations, children running in and out of the building, and a general cacophony of noise,  and I thought to myself, “Is this what preparing to worship is about?”

What is the purpose of the church gathering together on Sunday morning?  Is it like a theater production or a movie house where we can conduct our own business, enter into inane conversations and generally act noisily until the action starts?  Can we rush in (physically and mentally) at the last minute into the auditorium for the entertainment and the popcorn?  Is our fellowship more important than our worship?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Christian fellowship that can edify but should it not take place outside a time set aside to prepare for worship?  Can it not wait?  Are we so preoccupied with other things we fail to do the important thing?

Can we not set aside a few minutes for a quiet time of reflection without the chaos?  Can we not take our places in the assembly be seated and be quiet? Can we not gather ourselves and our children and indicate to others that we are expecting the Lord Jesus Christ to be in our assembly today and let us prepare ourselves for Him?

We indicate in our church bulletins that the time has been set aside for worship.  We are often reminded by our church elders that it is a time to prepare our hearts for worship.  Many of us intend to worship.  So why do we not prepare for worship?  I fear this looseness many exhibit in preparing to worship sets a poor example for not only our younger people and youth but those who visit as well and I believe it is offensive to God.  

Quieting our hearts and minds and failing to prepare to worship sets a poor example at best and at the worst we are creating an attitude that our worship is not all that important -  or at least as important as a movie theater.