The final stage of life on earth and thepassing from this life to eternal lifeis marked by the Christianfuneral service.

At the heart of the funeral service is the belief that at the end of time, each believer is resurrected to share in Christ’s victory over death.

Few Christians believe in actual physical resurrection of the body, which is why

most Christians allow cremation.

After death the body is washed and placed in a coffin which sometimes bears the Christian symbol of the cross.

Christians believe thatdeath is not the end.

They believe that the soul of the person lives on and is unitedwith God.

In the Protestant tradition the coffin istaken to the church or chapel where themourners meet.

There are some variations within the threeChristian traditions:

The coffin is usually carried into church and the chief mourners follow it in.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die;

and all those who live and believein me will never die.”

The vicar or Minister recites from John’s gospel at this point…

Prayers, readings, hymns and a talk about death, resurrection and the life of the deceased form part of the service.

This is followed either by the cremation or the burial of the body.

A short service is held either at the crematorium or at the graveside.

Christians believe that they will be reunited with Christ after death.

They also believe that the person will rise again and enjoy eternal life, which has been assured by the sacrifice of Jesuson the cross.

Roman Catholics believe that sometime after death, the soul may remain in

purgatory to redeem the sinscommitted on earth.

For a Roman Catholic funeral service, the coffin is taken to church the night beforethe funeral so that prayers can be saidfor the soul of the departed.

They also believe that the time the soul remains in purgatory can be affected by the prayers of thoseleft behind.

The priest wears white, which is the colour associated with life after death and the resurrection.

At the committal (the burial or cremation), the coffin is blessed with holy water as a sign of the cleansing of sins.

There is usually a special mass called a Requiem Mass, which has prayers and readings for the deceased.

It remains open during the service to remind the people that death is an

unnecessary tragedy, since it is God’s punishment for sin.

In the Orthodox Christian faith, as soonas a person dies their body is washed and

dressed in new clothes and placed in an open coffin,which is positioned at the

front of the church.

The tragedy of death is accompanied by the hope of resurrection, and this is symbolised by the candles that are burning and the incense, which is sprayed near the coffin.

Readings from the Bible emphasise the resurrection of the dead and the hopethat is shared by all believers in God.

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