New Warhorn Media post by Tim Bayly:
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Thank you, this was a very good post.
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Quite welcome, dear brother.
Dear Tim, perhaps you can also speak to how to deal with our unbelieving family members, who specifically leave advanced directives choosing no significant intervention at end of life, and then arrange cremation as their final choice. Do we go against these requests?
I am with you on burial, and I would advise anyone close to me to do that. I have you to thank for this change of position. I am saddened that so many Christians choose cremation. Another thing that saddens me is how my denomination says that post-death arrangements and services are a family matter. I don’t know if we even have an order of service for this. It is as if the family is on their own.
Dear brother, a difficult question that really has no good answer other than personal and faithful witness. Whereas with regard to starving my father or mother or brother or sister to death, I would refuse any part in it, I would not say the same with cremation. There can be occasions where a relative who is godly is given medical power of attorney when documents have already been signed which bind him to allow the starvation of the family member he is given medical power of attorney over, and this can never be of faith. It is sin against the Sixth Commandment.
However, cremation is not as explicitly treated by Scripture as the Ten Commandments. Scripture is very clear on the matter, but not as clear as “Thou shalt not cremate.”
In matters of death, the best actions and testimonies are done and said long before they are needed. Wait and it’s usually too late.
Concerning funeral worship services, they are easy to find. For the funeral, I take the service including Scriptures and prayers from the 1946 copy of the Book of Common Worship of the historic Presbyterian church.
For the committal service, I use this taken from the Book of Common Prayer (1662) which follows.
Love,
Committal
Man that is born of a woman has but a short time to live and is full of trouble. He comes up and is cut down, like a flower; he flees like a shadow and never continues in one place.
In the midst of life, we are in death: and of whom may we seek for relief, but of Thee O Lord, who for our sins are justly displeased.
Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not Thy merciful ears to our prayers; but spare us, Thou most worthy judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour, for any pains of death to fall from thee.
For as much as it hath pleased Almighty God in His infinite wisdom and mercy to take out of this world the soul of our (Brother/Sister) departed, we now commit (his/her) body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust.
For this we say unto you by the Word the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thess. 4:14-18
(hymn)
Let us Pray
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in thy perfect wisdom and mercy has ended for your servants departed, the voyage of this troubled life, grant we beseech you, that we who are still to continue our course amidst earthly dangers, temptations, and troubles may evermore be protected by thy mercy, and finally come to the haven of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord bless thee and keep thee; the Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Amen.
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