Why Easter Matters

Have you picked up the latest issue of The Lutheran Witness?

There's a fabulous article about death and why Easter had to happen because of the sinful world in which we live.

Myth 3: When you die, you become an angel. After our son, Jonathan passed away people would tell me, "Well, now you've got a little angel in heaven to watch over you." What? No. Jonathan has not turned into an angel. He is alive in heaven. "The Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enable him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body." (Philippians 3:21)

Myth 5: Funerals are for the living, not the dead. This myth has caused much controversy because it seems that people think funerals are for the people who come to funerals. While a funeral can certainly bring some closure and comfort for a grieving family, my husband has it right when he says, "The chief function of a funeral is to care properly for the body of a Christian after death." Think about how God created us and our marvelous, intricate bodies out of dust. Think about all of the people in the world. Not one person is exactly like another. That's pretty amazing. God has entrusted us to care for our bodies on earth, in this world that we live in, so also I believe he wants us to care for one's body after death. After reading this myth, I know that many people, right away think of cremation.  While I don't think there is anything in the Bible that says cremation is wrong, I think it is disrespectful to God to burn a body up in a fire. That's just my two cents.

Now you're curious aren't you? You want to know about the other myths in the article, right? Did I mention that my Lutheran Stud of a husband wrote the article, Myths About Death: Why Easter Matters in the current issue of The Lutheran Witness? Check it out. Then get a subscription to The Lutheran Witness because every month it is chock full of wonderful Lutheran theology. The Lutheran Witness does a marvelous job "interpreting the contemporary world from a Lutheran Christian perspective."

 Blessed Lent.