so today was my first funeral. ever. people in my family don't get buried, in fact i think the last person i knew in my family to be buried, maybe? was my great uncle on my dad's side...? perhaps? my family just doesn't see the point in spending the money on a plot, and making people feel obligated to visit it. all of my relatives have been cremated that i know of, and have either been scattered or held onto by other family members. i agree with my parents thinking for the most part, i mean for me, if the God of the universe can create man out of dirt, and raise the dead into their new bodies when Christ returns, i think he can handle some reassembly of some ashes.
anyway, back to the topic at hand. so dave's grandma, Mae was buried today, although prior to that there was a service. now, from the church that i did attend as a child, it was very liturgical in nature, so luckily, i could relate to where this was all going. the pastor started out a bit how do i put it, rehearsed but by the end there was not a dry eye in the house and everything he referenced was biblical in nature so i could appreciate it.
so, when relatives die, in all reality, sometimes unless they were an "on fire for Christ" kind of Christian, you never really know if those you love at least have "fire insurance." This was the case for Mae today, where we were all enlightened into her walk with God. She was in fact a Christian and was at that very moment hanging out in Heaven without pain or sickness. he referenced Revelation 21, and a few other pieces from the book too but i found this one particularly poignant:
Revelation 21: 1-4
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
At this point, I realized that my children that I (we) had lost, were sitting with Mae in Heaven at that very moment at the feast in Heaven. They met her there and are still there, waiting for all of us to get there. I took great comfort in this and it reminded me that after this life, there will be no disappointment or death, or pain, or sickness or crying. we will be one with God in Heaven, never separated again and free to live together forever. i look forward to that day when i will see my family members and most importantly my children there, but until that day i will continue to walk by faith, even when i cannot see. until next post....
annie
