For devout Christians, a funeral service marks the start of the journey of the soul to the eternal life after death. It is for this precise reason that funeral services are very spirited, as they are an assertion of the belief that the deceased has found a permanent abode in the House of God.
Christianity considers death as a new beginning, wherein the soul is delivered from the world of pain to the world of everlasting bliss. That the deceased is enjoying heavenly bliss and is with God Himself is a relieving thought that lessens the severity of the trauma that death brings to the family. The Christian funeral ceremony is organized accordingly with the same belief.
Christian funeral ceremony is usually officiated by the pastor. The services are often held at the very church that the deceased used to visit when he was alive. Usually the ceremonies don't have casket, but when the service is being conducted inside a funeral home, caskets are very often present. Public viewing of the deceased's body is not something that you will find in a conventional Christian funeral ceremony.
The funeral ceremony is almost like a memorial, in which the programmes start with chanting of hymns, a vocalist, and religious readings from the Bible. After this comes a short elocution from the pastor and then a mass prayer by all those who have gathered there.
Then the family and relatives share their grief with the group, and the people express their feelings and respect for the dead person and share their ruminations on how the dead person affected their lives and left a lasting void. Nowadays, people also do a slide show on the life of the deceased or play a pre-recorded video taken from the deceased's lifetime.
The final phase in the service is that of a short fellowship reception that is held inside the church itself and some food is served. A graveside service is normally not included, but some Christian communities have this as well.
Christianity considers death as a new beginning, wherein the soul is delivered from the world of pain to the world of everlasting bliss. That the deceased is enjoying heavenly bliss and is with God Himself is a relieving thought that lessens the severity of the trauma that death brings to the family. The Christian funeral ceremony is organized accordingly with the same belief.
Christian funeral ceremony is usually officiated by the pastor. The services are often held at the very church that the deceased used to visit when he was alive. Usually the ceremonies don't have casket, but when the service is being conducted inside a funeral home, caskets are very often present. Public viewing of the deceased's body is not something that you will find in a conventional Christian funeral ceremony.
The funeral ceremony is almost like a memorial, in which the programmes start with chanting of hymns, a vocalist, and religious readings from the Bible. After this comes a short elocution from the pastor and then a mass prayer by all those who have gathered there.
Then the family and relatives share their grief with the group, and the people express their feelings and respect for the dead person and share their ruminations on how the dead person affected their lives and left a lasting void. Nowadays, people also do a slide show on the life of the deceased or play a pre-recorded video taken from the deceased's lifetime.
The final phase in the service is that of a short fellowship reception that is held inside the church itself and some food is served. A graveside service is normally not included, but some Christian communities have this as well.
