To those who have recently loss loved ones hang on and cherish the memories of them and then see them not in their empty shell, but as a redeemed soul in their new heavenly body celebrating with our Lord and Savior Jesus

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7

One day before Christmas, my wife and I helped a friend celebrate the life of her mom and grandmother who went home to be with the Lord.  She, by my estimation, was in her early 90's.  As I look back over my life, it seems that when I was in my 20's I attended more wedding ceremonies than funeral services.

 Life, in a sense, was a never ending joyous occasion after joyous occasion. Life was good. We were happy because the friends who got married were happy.

As time went on, we would lose an occasional friend who we might learn died suddenly and in our mind unjustifiable. Depending on how we process the pain of our earlier losses will determine how we process the pain of those future losses.  If we choose to keep looking for those never ending life celebrations we will likely choose not to attend those sadder occasions when death occurs. Such is the method that many of us in America choose, To bury our pain instead of facing it and processing each emotion one at a time, I learned, only creates more problems down the road to our bodies, to our general happiness, and how we see life.

Which is why I choose to refer to funerals, not as sad occasions, but a celebration of sorts, a celebration of life. The reason?  When you consider over 2000 years ago when God decided to come to earth in the form of a little baby to grow up and experience life as a human being before teaching us the things that were important to God is an amazing story of redemption.  

To Think that God loved you so much that he learned to walk in your shoes and die for each of our sins on the cross of calvary and then to rise again from the dead and take his rightful place in heaven makes our lives worthwhile and meaningful. I know this life can be filled with pain and sometimes, misery beyond imaginable, but God assures us that he will make all things new. 

Whenever I attend a service for a friend who has died, I see a redeemed soul who is right now in the very presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I see the endless celebrations,, like the kind we experience at weddings with the dancing and the bountiful mounds of food and the joshing of the bride and groom with the clanging of our champaign glasses. I see the earthly shell full of their new heavenly body without the earthly limitations.  

To all of the families who have recently lost loved ones, hang onto the picture of your loved one celebrating in their new body filled with joy and happiness and enjoying the feasts of heaven. They are in heaven because God learned to walk in our shoes and decided for all time sake to pay our penalty for sin once and for all.

Happy Birthday Jesus and Merry Christmas to all!