What Does the Bible Say about Cremation?..... Dr. Roger Barrier

 

What Does the Bible Say about Cremation?

• Dr. Roger Barrier

• My husband and I would like to be cremated after our deaths. Our families do not approve. Is there scripture that will back us in our decision? What does the Bible say about cremation?

  It may not give you the confirmation you need, but here is your answer about what the Bible tells us about cremation - as best as I can tell, there is no Bible passage that attempts to give guidelines regarding acceptable burial procedures. No matter which burial practices one follows, the results are always the same: “Dust to dust, ashes to ashes." Job reiterated the final disposition of the body in Job 34:14-15: “If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust."

  The ancient Egyptians embalmed bodies to delay decay and to prepare for the afterlife.

  In first-century Israel, bodies were buried on the day of death! A 60-foot length of one-foot-wide cloth was wrapped around and around the deceased while all sorts of spices were sprinkled in the wrappings in order to reduce the stench of decay. The bodies were then placed in caves or stone sepulchers.

In more recent times, it's customary to embalm a body before burial in order to delay decay long enough for the family to mourn the deceased and to give time for out-of-town friends and relatives to arrive before the funeral.

Burial procedures are rapidly changing in today’s culture. Many people are turning to cremation as the body disposition of choice. One of the primary drivers in this change is the astronomical cost of having a "traditional funeral." The costs for embalming, buying a casket and purchasing a piece of ground to put the casket in is cost prohibitive for too many families.

The only long-term difference between embalming and cremation is time. Cremation just speeds up the process.

Biblical Perspective on Cremation

You may do well to investigate why your family doesn't approve of your cremation choice. Perhaps they consider cremation as not Biblical. However, as we have seen, cremation is never a Biblical issue. Here are some other concerns of Christians about cremation.

1. Perhaps they are worried that when Jesus returns at the Rapture and the bodies of long-dead Christians are resurrected and transformed into spiritual bodies — that you won’t have a body to resurrect. Frankly, since the first century, most (if not all) bodies are now dust anyway. Since God is big enough to produce a world-wide resurrection, He certainly can make a spiritual body from only a speck of dust -- or less.

2. Perhaps your family wants you in a casket-filled grave so they can have a place for remembering you and your lives together. This desire is natural and normal.

Recently, I've observed families foregoing the expensive caskets and burial plots by choosing cremation. They then purchase a small cemetery plot in which to bury the ashes. Others scatter the ashes over a prearranged place meaningful to the deceased. Some save a few ashes in a small locket as a token reminder of their loved one. Some ashes reside in burial urns over fireplace mantles.

With all that being said, remember that your body is still your body. Discuss openly with your family that you want to dispose of your body in the way most comfortable to you. In your case, that is cremation.

My mother just traded in her outdoor burial plot for an indoor mausoleum space. She decided that she was uncomfortable with the idea that she would be down in the ground with the “worms and maggots!” Then, she got to worrying that above ground a tornado could hit the mausoleum! She wanted to change back; but, she finally decided that worms were worse than tornadoes.

If you are more comfortable with cremation then I recommend that you do so.

Personally, I want my body cremated. I've picked out four golf courses where I want my family to spread my ashes. I think.

Recently, our church erected a columbarium with small niches for burial urns of ashes. It's on an outdoor wall of the new chapel. Recently, Julie and I exhumed our first daughter's ashes from Evergreen Cemetery and placed them in an urn in the niche in the far-left top row of the columbarium. I'm thinking about changing my mind. I just might have my ashes placed in the niche with Jessie.

After all, the chapel wall sounds like a great final resting place while we wait for the sounds of the resurrection trumpet. Jessie and I could even hold hands together on the way up!

Psalm 103:15-17 is a Bible passage that gives us a great perspective on cremation -- or on any other burial practice:
As for man, his days are like grass,
He flourishes like a flower of the field;
The wind blows over it and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
The LORD's love is with those who fear him,
And his righteousness with their children's children…

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Please Receive Him as Myself..... Streams in the Desert

 

Please Receive Him as Myself 

Streams in the Desert

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full (John 16:24).

During the Civil War, a man had an only son who enlisted in the armies of the Union. The father was a banker and, although he consented to his son's going, it seemed as if it would break his heart to let him go.

He became deeply interested in the soldier boys, and whenever he saw a uniform, his heart went out as he thought of his own dear boy. He spent his time, neglected his business, gave his money to caring for the soldiers who came home invalid. His friends remonstrated with him, saying he had no right to neglect his business and spend so much thought upon the soldiers, so he fully decided to give it all up.

After he had come to this decision, there stepped into his bank one day a private soldier in a faded, worn uniform, who showed in his face and hands the marks of the hospital. The poor fellow was fumbling in his pocket to get something or other, when the banker saw him and, perceiving his purpose, said to him: "My dear fellow, I cannot do anything for you today. I am extremely busy. You will have to go to your headquarters; the officers there will look after you."

Still the poor convalescent stood, not seeming to fully understand what was said to him. Still he fumbled in his pockets and, by and by, drew out a scrap of dirty paper, on which there were a few lines written with a pencil, and laid this soiled sheet before the banker. On it he found these words:

"Dear Father: "This is one of my comrades who was wounded in the last fight, and has been in the hospital. Please receive him as myself. --Charlie."

In a moment all the resolutions of indifference which this man made, flew away. He took the boy to his palatial home, put him in Charlie's room, gave him Charlie's seat at the table, kept him until food and rest and love had brought him back to health, and then sent him back again to imperil his life for the flag.
–Selected

Now you will see what I will do (Exodus 6:1).

Stop the Sun..... by John UpChurch

 Stop the Sun

by John UpChurch

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger (Ephesians 4:26).

When I got married, the friend my wife and I roped into making the wedding video for us added a few surprises to the tape before he gave it to us. During our rehearsal dinner (which didn’t actually follow a rehearsal), he’d grabbed guests, whisked them outside, poked the camera in their faces, and asked them for their best tips on keeping a marriage strong.

The advice is decidedly mixed. It ranges from the serious (“Make time for your relationship”) to the Scriptural (“Love is kind”) to the funny (“Just let her win, John”) to the ludicrous (“Beat him when you need to”). It’s the stuff you’d expect from those who are on the spot with only moments to think up something that would be forever stamped on our video.

But one piece of advice has always stuck out to me, and even as I write this, I see it and wince. One of our friends told us that we should just “forget about that whole sun-not-going-down-on-your-anger thing. You will go to bed mad.”

It’s just really bad advice.

Now, admittedly, when Paul wrote Ephesians 4:26, he wasn’t talking to married couples directly. He meant it for the believers at Ephesus in general. But he slips that passage in among his admonitions about how our lives should be different now that we follow Christ. He says those who don’t know Christ live one way, but when they start to follow Him, their lives show it. Before, we let our anger seethe, but now, we fix the problem. Before, we didn’t seek forgiveness and restitution, but now we do.

In marriage, the status quo is always safer. We get into routines, and we like how comfortable the ordinary feels. When something disrupts the normal flow, guys especially want to just move it out of the way and get back to flowing again. Meanwhile, our wives are still upset, and nothing has been dealt with.

You see, there’s another part to that going-to-bed-angry thing that our well-wisher left out. When we do that, the Bible says we give the devil a foothold, a place to cling on. The anger burns deeper and deeper. One angry night becomes dozens. That’s the place where relationships stop growing—and even die.

But there’s no need for any angry sleeping, not when we’ve got something as crazy-good as the gospel. As Paul says, the good news is that we’ve chucked off our old selves and gotten brand-spanking-new selves. This new-self sets us apart in the world as children of light. In other words, when we don’t do what people expect, we suddenly blaze into the darkness. When we don’t let the sun go down on our anger, but forgive as we’re forgiven, it’s like setting off a flare. You’re saying, “Look. This is God’s love made manifest through us. Dig it.”

Intersecting Faith and Life: Paul doesn't leave us a way out. Boiling anger has no room in our relationships, and it’s this readiness to forgive and willingness to work out our problems that make us light up the world. No matter what conventional wisdom may be, don’t let the sun go down before you work to put things right.

The Joy of Being Heard..... By Karrilee Aggett

 The Joy of Being Heard

By Karrilee Aggett

When God first directed my attention to this verse, I was a fairly new believer. I was new to the Bible and learning how to study it. I was new to prayer and the discipline of praying. I was new to being a wife and the learning curve of being a new mother was overwhelming! In other words, I was tired, y’all!

Suddenly, for too many consecutive nights, my eyes popped open wide at exactly 3:33 a.m.  The family was soundly sleeping. The house calm and quiet. What I wanted more than anything was to stay in bed, turn over, and go back to dreaming.

However, I don’t believe in coincidence and waking at the same time for days and days in a row certainly must mean something. As silly as it sounded, my heart knew it was true.

I made my way out to the living room, grabbed my Bible and sat down, ready to pray. Surely, this was a God-moment and maybe –just maybe, He had something to say to me!

Groggily, I whisper-prayed, “Here I am, Lord! I am listening…”

I waited in the silence and tried not to fall asleep. When I didn’t hear a response, I began my explanation of how there must be a better time to want to talk!  That is when He led me to open my Bible and look up Jeremiah 33:3. When I read over verse three, all of my tired emotions welled up and began to spill out.

Oh, what a promise! “Call to Me, and I will answer you…”

That promise still takes my breath away! It was the beginning of falling in love with prayer.  As a new mother way back then, the promise that He would not only hear me, but answer me was like a drink of cold water for my parched and thirsty soul!

I love how The Message states the latter part of that verse:

“I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.”

Marvelous and wondrous things… Yes, please!

Maybe you, too, are parched and thirsty and needing a bit of reassurance this God to whom we pray hears and listens and better yet, He answers!

Call to Him… and He will answer you…

This is the beginning of learning the JOY of being heard!

A Prayer for Those Trying to Make it in Their Own Strength..... By: Maggie Meadows Cooper

 A Prayer for Those Trying to Make it in Their Own Strength

By: Maggie Meadows Cooper

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. - 2 Peter 1:2

A couple of years ago, my toddler was becoming more and more independent. One of her newest tricks was dressing herself, and I was thrilled about this new skill! Most days though, it still needed a little tweaking. One morning, I heard her screaming through tears at her brother, who made her come completely unhinged by offering to help her get dressed. I found her stuck in a strappy tank top that she attempted to put on herself. Arms were stuck every which-a-way, and she was hopelessly tangled up in it.

I looked at my sweet girl sitting on the floor in a puddle of tears and frustration, and my heart went out to her, because I knew how she felt. As I pulled her up on my lap, she buried her head in my shoulder. I explained that we all want to do things ourselves, but sometimes we just need a little help from someone bigger. Those words left my mouth, and I realized that I needed to hear them too.

This world tries to make us believe we are strong and independent and fully capable of handling everything ourselves. It tells us we don't need help. That we can, and should, do it all on our own!

But if that is true, then I am a failure in the world's eyes. I get set for my "strappy tank top" of a day. I set it up just right for every part to fall into place. But before I know it, the work strap is crossed over the mama strap and the dinner strap is tangled in the kids’ activity strap, and I end up looking like my sweet baby did. Tangled up, frustrated, and no good to anyone. And ya' know why? Because I tried to rearrange and schedule and plan all on my own, without asking for help from the One who is the biggest of all.

Here are a couple of things to remember when you are ready to ask the Lord for help:

1. Pray. Pray again. And accept grace.

Before my feet hit the floor most mornings, I pray for the Lord to direct my day. I pray over my babies and husband and what we will face in the hours to come. I ask Him for wisdom and strength and patience in the situations I may encounter. I pray for a gentle, kind spirit and to speak life to those around me. And some days, I rest in His help and those prayers.

But others, I walk out the door and completely forget what I just prayed for. My own plan and strength and pride try to make it own their own. And I miss His hand in the moments of my day.

In the intro of 1 and 2 Peter, he said, "May God give you more and more grace and peace." I don't think that extra "more" was an accident. I think Peter, knowing his own weakness, knew that those reading his letter would mess up. He knew we would need "more and more" grace... and more and more help. And we will.

So, if you ask for the Lord to help you... and you mess it up and take over... don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask again. His resources and love and mercy and grace are never-ending.

2. His help may not look like what we expect, so be prepared.

You know that story about the man adrift in a boat who asked the Lord to save him? A plane flew by, a cruise ship came by, and something else I don't remember, and they all offered to pick him up. He turned them all down. When he got to heaven, he asked the Lord why He didn't save him, and the Lord explained that He tried to, but all of His attempts were turned down!

Well, the Lord's help and guidance most likely won't be through a bolt of lightning or force of nature. It might be a friend, loved one, co-worker, or total stranger who "happens" to be right there when you need them. It might be an inconvenience in your day like running late or a forgotten item that the Lord can use. You just never know who or what He might send to be your help and encouragement.

It's okay to NEED help. It's okay to WANT help. And it's okay to ASK for help!

Don't wait until you are "stuck" in a predicament that you can't get yourself out of. Don't spread yourself thin and wear yourself out to exhaustion. The older I get, the more I accept help when it is offered, ask for it myself, and try to extend it to those around me.

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16

Dear Lord,

Help me to open my heart and eyes and ears to be aware of those around me. Please give me the good sense to ask for help when needed, offer help when I’m able, humbly accept help from those around me when it’s extended, and put my hope in the One who loves me most. Remind me that in my own strength, I am so very weak, but with you, I am strong. Thank you for being my Rock, Fortress, Refuge, and Redeemer.

In Your Mighty Name,

Amen.