Mourn or Celebrate?
Wife and I were in Wes’ old shepherding group on Sunday and about 40 people were present. I started my part of the class talking about the difference between mourning and celebrating… That it would be appropriate for us to mourn Wes’ death because we will miss him. His wife and grown children, and their children, will miss him. That shepherding group will miss him. The sick and saddened will miss his visits. The staff at College church will miss him.
But there was some opposition. "No, we should celebrate his life, not mourn his death." I told these older, wiser Christians that I thought I understood what they were trying to say, but that Wes left a hole in our lives that brought sadness. That many would miss his comfort. That others would sorely miss his wisdom. That all would miss his love.
No, said a saintly lady. He’s better off where he is…
I thought I’d failed to make my point when Wes’ wife spoke out. "I’m sad. And I’m going to miss him."
The Christian’s hope is glory… An eternal glory that outweighs all… But in the meantime our enemy, death, is still the enemy. And so I mourn and, even though I’m a firm believer in the Gospel. I’m comfortable with that. For I mourn as one who has hope.
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:58 am
Jesus mourned the death of Lazarus knowing he was going to bring him back alive!
August 2nd, 2006 at 3:39 pm
I know that such sentiments (let’s celebrate, not mourn) are well-intended. But they have also struck me at times as evidence of “gnostic creep” (i.e. the body and this life do not matter at all).
We had a friend die recently who was part of a charismatic, evangelical fellowship. His widow and family insisted that there be no eulogy, no tears, no mourning. Instead there was a loud, foot stomping, hand clapping praise service with several of the deceased’s own children in the praise band.
Now they certainly have the right to lay to rest their loved one in the manner they see fit. But I couldn’t help but wonder whether they were setting themselves up for a rather large “crash and burn,” that weeks, months later, whether it would all hit them with a fury that would not be so great had it been dissipated in a more healthy fashion through a period of mourning.
The Jews have a very formal, almost liturgical, tradition of mourning. We might do well to pay attention and learn.
August 2nd, 2006 at 8:09 pm
Certainly, the Bible tells us about the home that awaits us. But its emphasis is always on the here and now. There’s a reason we mourn.
August 3rd, 2006 at 1:55 pm
I’m sorry, but I’m not far enough along to celebrate and not mourn. We are human, and in our human-ness, we miss people that we love……..whether we lose them through death or other means. It’s hard to say good-by to someone we love, no matter how glad we are that we came to know them and have them in our lives, for how much time we have them…………………