Christian Funeral Service - Importance And Rituals
For Christians, a funeral service marks the start of the journey of the soul to the eternal life after death. Funeral services and ceremonies are uplifting, because of the positive belief that the deceased has finally found a permanent home in God's abode.
Christians view death as a happy exit from the world of pain and a passage into the world of permanent bliss. That the deceased is enjoying heavenly bliss and is with the Lord Himself is a comforting thought that absorbs the severity of the shock that death brings to the family. The Christian funeral service is conducted accordingly with the same belief.
Generally, a priest is the main officiator at a Christian funeral service. The funeral service usually takes place at the church which the deceased visited regularly. Though the service does not have a casket generally, but when it is being held inside a funeral home, casket is normally present. A traditional Christian funeral ceremony does not involve public viewing of the deceased at the time of ceremony.
The proceedings in such a funeral service are similar to a memorial, in which religious hymns and prayers are sung and texts from the Bible are read out. Then the priest gives a message and the people follow with a mass prayer.
Then the family and relatives share their sorrows with the group, and the attendees express their feelings and respect for the dead person and share their thoughts on how the deceased affected their lives and left an everlasting memory. Nowadays, people also do a slide show containing snapshots from the life of the deceased or play a video recording taken from his or her lifetime.
The final phase in the ceremony is that of a brief reception that is held inside the church itself and some refreshments are served. A graveside service is generally not included, though some Christian communities opt for that too.
Christians view death as a happy exit from the world of pain and a passage into the world of permanent bliss. That the deceased is enjoying heavenly bliss and is with the Lord Himself is a comforting thought that absorbs the severity of the shock that death brings to the family. The Christian funeral service is conducted accordingly with the same belief.
Generally, a priest is the main officiator at a Christian funeral service. The funeral service usually takes place at the church which the deceased visited regularly. Though the service does not have a casket generally, but when it is being held inside a funeral home, casket is normally present. A traditional Christian funeral ceremony does not involve public viewing of the deceased at the time of ceremony.
The proceedings in such a funeral service are similar to a memorial, in which religious hymns and prayers are sung and texts from the Bible are read out. Then the priest gives a message and the people follow with a mass prayer.
Then the family and relatives share their sorrows with the group, and the attendees express their feelings and respect for the dead person and share their thoughts on how the deceased affected their lives and left an everlasting memory. Nowadays, people also do a slide show containing snapshots from the life of the deceased or play a video recording taken from his or her lifetime.
The final phase in the ceremony is that of a brief reception that is held inside the church itself and some refreshments are served. A graveside service is generally not included, though some Christian communities opt for that too.
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