On Sunday we celebrate All Saints day. Traditionally on that day, we recognize those who have died in the faith. Since last November 1st, the following Glendale members died: Corrine Gutzler, Charlotte Moret, Gwen Pieper, Karen Raterman, Jack Rutter, Bettie Welch, and Joan Winkler. Their faith was an encouragement to me as I had the privilege of ministering to them.
Pastors deal with death regularly. Our seminary training includes funerals and care for the dying and the mourning. Yet, there is a big difference in how pastors view death. Some emphasize, like Paul, that death is an enemy. I talked to a pastor at a conference recently who preached this way. He said, “Death is always ugly. It’s the result of a sinful world. It’s not the way things are supposed to be.” We regularly categorize death with sin and the Devil. Eulogies are not allowed. A funeral becomes a dirge.
The opposite view is to emphasize Christ’s resurrection over death. When this is the case, a funeral becomes a party. We can laugh and share stories because the departed are still alive in Christ. They are still part of God's family so why shouldn’t we enjoy resurrected life as part of our mourning.
I see both sides and believe that each is a true aspect of Christian death. We live in the tension between death as an enemy and death as a gateway to resurrection. Jesus didn’t mourn like everyone else. He cried with Mary and Martha over Lazarus’ death. It seems to me that he wasn’t crying for Lazarus but for the pain of Mary and Martha. He turned their sorrow to joy with the words “Lazarus, come out.” Without Christ, death is only an enemy. With Christ, death is destroyed. We mourn with that understanding.
