Eddie Van Halen died. Facebook is flooded with pictures of him hammering the neck of his guitar with […]
Death
“One mornin’ Tim was feelin’ full, His head was heavy which made him shake; He fell from the […]
By Cindy Koch – Wherever you look you will find me there In the heart of a rose, […]
By Joel A. Hess –
The house was decorated for Christmas. Santa Claus figurines, branches of evergreen, and ceramic angels were sitting on every table, shelf, and mantel. The mighty Christmas tree stood in the corner with bright greens, yellows, reds, blues, and purples lighting up the warm house while the snow fell outside.
By Paul Koch –
I remember years ago, I think it was when I was still in high school, we had a class assignment where we wrote out our own obituary. Now, that may sound a bit dark, but I think the goal of the exercise was to cause you to think about your future: about what sort of person you would want to be and what sort of things you might want to accomplish in life. To start, you would think about what you would want people to say about yourself. This might reveal what sort of characteristics you value most, and so you would want to work on them. Would they say that you were kind or compassionate, trustworthy, or even wise?
By Bob Hiller –
Have you ever been to funeral where people got up and spoke negatively about the deceased? Almost never. When friends and family gather to mourn the loss of those they love, they always speak well of the person. As you leave most funerals, you’d almost think that there is no such thing as sin in the world. The wages of sin is death, we’re told, so it is a true mystery to everyone present why this pillar of morality, joy, and laughter is about to be laid six feet under!
By Cindy Koch –
A few months ago, I had to tell my daughter she was dying. I had known for some time, but she wasn’t quite old enough to grasp the truth of what was happening. So as parents do when the children are small, I could only bring myself to give her part of the story—age appropriate tidbits as she grew in understanding. It’s very possible I did the wrong thing. Maybe I should have drowned her with the gory details from the beginning. But because of the nature of things and the pace of our life, even I periodically forgot about her sickness. Finally, the opportunity presented itself, and the truth has come out.
By Joel A. Hess –
Welcome. On behalf of the family of the deceased, I would like to thank you for being here.
You have come to a funeral of sorts this Good Friday, haven’t you? Well, that’s what they say, I suppose.
By Paul Koch –
On Tuesday, I read news that the last male northern white rhino had died. Named Sudan, the rhino is survived by two females, and while scientists have hope for in vitro fertilization to save the species, the outlook isn’t very promising. The head of the wildlife conservancy that was caring for Sudan had this to say, “It’s very sad to lose Sudan because it shows clearly the extent of human greed and what sort of impact humans beings can have on nature. If we don’t take care of what we have, we will definitely continue to lose it, particularly lose other species that are currently endangered.”
By Bob Hiller –
This past week, Time Magazine ran a number of articles and vignettes on what one might do to live a longer life. And this was great news! After all, death is the worst! We’re all trying to avoid it, or at least put it off as long as possible. So, thankfully, Time Magazine has the secrets you need to live longer, happier!
By Paul Koch –
Have you ever spent time with someone who is dying? And I don’t mean someone who is surprised by death’s arrival—the brutal car accident or the massive heart attack that sent us rushing to speak final words in a moment’s notice. No, I mean the brother or sister on hospice care who knows that they will not see another Christmas or another birthday but is patiently waiting for our Lord to call them home. Have you been there with them, talked with them, prayed with them, wept with them, and laughed with them?
By Tim Winterstein –
[NECESSARY SPOILERS AHEAD]
A few years ago, I did the funeral for my grandmother in a small town in eastern Oregon. My grandfather (who had died a couple years prior) and she had lived in this town for many years, and I had visited them there both as a child and then later when I was married with my own family. But what struck me about doing my grandmother’s funeral was that, with her, my last physical connection to that little town died. I could visit on vacation, as I would anywhere else. But there was no familial reason to return there again.
By Joel Hess –
Recently I led a funeral service for a 98 year old World War Two vet. When I mention to someone I am doing a funeral, without exception I will be asked, “How old was he?” If the deceased was young (remarkably, the definition of ‘young’ changes with one’s own age), the friend will inevitably react with shock and sympathy. The sympathizer will remark how unnatural and wrong it is for someone to die so young.
By Joel A. Hess –
Tomorrow I’m doing a funeral for a friend. He loved to win. He competed in everything. When he was 84 and his wife was suffering from Alzheimer’s, he still took pride in beating her and whoever was her partner in Euchre. I think he even cheated to win. He hated losing. Maybe he learned that as kid, maybe from his dad. The world hates losers.
By Ross Engel –
On January 1, 1998, MTV premiered a brilliant Claymation TV show called Celebrity Deathmatch. This vividly violent and quite hilarious show depicted clay versions of various celebrities battling to the death in the ring. While it was clever the way these clay celebrities met their demise, what was especially amusing was that announcers Johnny Gomez and Nick Diamond (and the celebrities themselves) were bluntly honest about these stars. If a celebrity had a drug addiction, plastic surgery, or some major character flaw, the creators of the show would mercilessly incorporate those flaws into the clever and gruesome ways that the celebrities would fight and die. The show ran for several seasons, pitting celebrity against celebrity to the death. Its violent run ended in 2002.
By Paul Koch –
On Tuesday morning, the world learned the tragic news of Carrie Fisher’s death. This news had a strange effect on me, as I had just watched her performance the day before when I took my family to go see the new blockbuster Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Although, it wasn’t a performance by the sixty-year-old actress per se but a CGI recreation of the twenty-one-year-old Princess Leia every young boy my age had fallen in love with at one time or another. There she was, full of youthful vigor and elegance, receiving the plans of the Death Star to relay to the Rebel Alliance—at least, it looked like her… almost.
By Jaime Nava –
People say some pretty crass stuff when famous people die. It’s often followed by “too soon.” This is supposed to make it okay and still kinda funny, even if we’re not supposed to laugh.
By Ross Engel –
My wife walked slowly up the aisle of the church; she was dressed in black, my seven-month-old son James on her hip and my three-year -old daughter excitedly holding her hand. The eyes of all those gathered watched her as they came forward. There was a slight gasp from the front row as she picked up our three-year-old and leaned over the casket so that Eliana could get a better look at “Mr. Art.” After a few sweet words, they took their place, sitting with the rest of the congregation, and awaiting the beginning of the funeral service.
By Scott Keith –
“Those who lack within themselves the means for living a blessed and happy life will find any age painful. But for those who seek good things within themselves, nothing imposed on them by nature will seem troublesome. Growing older is a prime example of this. Everyone hopes to reach old age, but when it comes, most of us complain about it. People can be so foolish and inconsistent.” Cicero, How to Grow Old, pg. 11
By Joel A. Hess –
This past week, I had the privilege once again to sit near the bedside of a woman breathing her last breath. Afterward, I noticed the hospice caretaker speak gently about her client to her daughter. When referring to her death, she never said “she died.” Instead, like so many within and without the community of the risen Jesus, the nurse said “she passed.”
People don’t like to say that their loved one “died.”