Many of you have probably heard the phrase "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust". What you may not have known is that this phrase isn't found anywhere in the bible. The closest we get to the phrase is from this forlorn son of David, "All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return." (Ecclesiastes 3:20) It's interesting that this is said at so many funerals when, in context, it's so pessimistic. You're essentially saying "your life was meaningless" when you say that at someone's funeral.
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Showing posts with label Dust To Dust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dust To Dust. Show all posts
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Friday, 24 February 2012
"Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust"
by Dennis Michelson
(Painesville, Ohio)
I Corinthians 15:43-44
Introduction: The phrase found in the title of this message is often recited at the funeral or burial services of people - Christian and non-Christian. Many think it is a quote from the Bible but it is not. The phrase is borrowed from an English book of Church liturgies and was incorporated into prayer books and ministerial aids, but the phrase is not found in Scripture.
It is often used to support the practice of cremation among Christians. Has the practice of cremation slipped into the church much like the phrase in the prayer book or is it just "much ado about nothing", to borrow another phrase from an Englishman.
1. The Concerns
Christians are divided over the popular practice of cremation in distinction to traditional burials. If the Bible condemns such a practice then the case should be closed. If the Bible condones such a practice then why are sincere Christians so concerned and troubled about the practice? If the Bible is silent on the subject then individual choices by other Christians should be of no concern to us.
2. The Cremation
The term cremation comes from a Latin term meaning "to burn." Of course our current subject of interest involves the burning of a corpse. I am sorry but that is exactly the issue before us. Is it more biblical to burn a corpse and let it be consumed rather quickly or bury the corpse and let it decompose gradually?
Essentially the body is burned at a temperature of between 1400 and 2100 degrees Fahrenheit in a process which takes three to five hours. The remains are then reduced to anywhere between four to eight pounds of particles and small fragments of bone.
It is commonly known among those in the profession that a small portion will be left inside the cremation chamber and subsequently mixed with the next body in the cremation process. The Old Testament has several references to the disposal of bodies by burning. The burning of bodies in ancient Israel was reserved for criminals, idols, or enemies.
To not be given a proper burial in the Old Testament was seen as a high dishonor as well as a great tragedy. The New Testament has at least two references to the burning of things or people - Acts 19:19 and Revelation 20:15. There is no direct prohibition against cremation in the Bible but in every instance the burning of a body was viewed as something less then honorable and respectful.
When people are asked about why they might choose cremation they will typically cite economical and ecological reasons but never biblical ones.
3. The Casket
I am sorry but I could not resist the "casket" point. You see most of the Christians I have dealt with over the past 40 years have seen an "urn" as an unbiblical receptacle for human remains and the "casket" as the biblical mode of disposal. Neither has superior biblical warrant because the emphasis in Scripture is always on the BODY and not the BOX.
Of course the Bible cites many instances of deceased persons being placed in the ground, or a tomb, but not a box. Why were Old Testament believers and New Testament alike so concerned about the proper disposal of the body?
Introduction: The phrase found in the title of this message is often recited at the funeral or burial services of people - Christian and non-Christian. Many think it is a quote from the Bible but it is not. The phrase is borrowed from an English book of Church liturgies and was incorporated into prayer books and ministerial aids, but the phrase is not found in Scripture.
It is often used to support the practice of cremation among Christians. Has the practice of cremation slipped into the church much like the phrase in the prayer book or is it just "much ado about nothing", to borrow another phrase from an Englishman.
1. The Concerns
Christians are divided over the popular practice of cremation in distinction to traditional burials. If the Bible condemns such a practice then the case should be closed. If the Bible condones such a practice then why are sincere Christians so concerned and troubled about the practice? If the Bible is silent on the subject then individual choices by other Christians should be of no concern to us.
2. The Cremation
The term cremation comes from a Latin term meaning "to burn." Of course our current subject of interest involves the burning of a corpse. I am sorry but that is exactly the issue before us. Is it more biblical to burn a corpse and let it be consumed rather quickly or bury the corpse and let it decompose gradually?
Essentially the body is burned at a temperature of between 1400 and 2100 degrees Fahrenheit in a process which takes three to five hours. The remains are then reduced to anywhere between four to eight pounds of particles and small fragments of bone.
It is commonly known among those in the profession that a small portion will be left inside the cremation chamber and subsequently mixed with the next body in the cremation process. The Old Testament has several references to the disposal of bodies by burning. The burning of bodies in ancient Israel was reserved for criminals, idols, or enemies.
To not be given a proper burial in the Old Testament was seen as a high dishonor as well as a great tragedy. The New Testament has at least two references to the burning of things or people - Acts 19:19 and Revelation 20:15. There is no direct prohibition against cremation in the Bible but in every instance the burning of a body was viewed as something less then honorable and respectful.
When people are asked about why they might choose cremation they will typically cite economical and ecological reasons but never biblical ones.
3. The Casket
I am sorry but I could not resist the "casket" point. You see most of the Christians I have dealt with over the past 40 years have seen an "urn" as an unbiblical receptacle for human remains and the "casket" as the biblical mode of disposal. Neither has superior biblical warrant because the emphasis in Scripture is always on the BODY and not the BOX.
Of course the Bible cites many instances of deceased persons being placed in the ground, or a tomb, but not a box. Why were Old Testament believers and New Testament alike so concerned about the proper disposal of the body?
The first cremation in America took place in 1876, accompanied by readings from Charles Darwin and the Hindu scriptures. Both readings were directly in line with the cremation process. But what should the disposal of a body by a Christian communicate to those left behind?
The body of every person was created by God and in His image and should be treated with respect. Just as Christ was buried and raised bodily, so Christians want to communicate that their burial is nothing less than a witness of the resurrection to come.
4. The Culture
There can be a fairly good case made for the burial of a body if you check the entire Bible. Does the Bible ever command, encourage, or condone cremation as an acceptable (or preferred) practice for disposition of a believer's corpse? Burial seems to be more in line with the inspired revelation of Scripture than the less than favorable light cast upon disposition by burning.
However, burial is the primary issue - not funerals$$$$. Forget the pine box everyone used to talk about and just get a sheet, wrap me up, and plant me in the back land! Caskets, vaults, cemetery plots, opening and closing fees, embalming, etc., have clouded the issue of planting the body like a seed in the ground.
Of course our American culture - in the form of local and state ordinances - might have something to say about that. Considering the concerns, the cremation, the casket, and the culture, can there be any conclusion?
5. The Conclusions
The Presbyterian preacher George Buttrick said, "There is nothing more incongruous than dressing up a corpse in a tuxedo!" Our culture has sought to put a tuxedo or a tarp on death so those left behind will view it as something other then it really is - stark, ugly, and final.
A pressing question for Christians ought to be what is the message and meaning behind any last rites. Modern funerals tend to put novacaine on the soul with soft music, plush carpets, and expensive caskets.
I leave you with these questions:
Which practice best reflects the Christian hope of the gospel?
How do you best express the honor due to the human body as a creation of God and temple of the Holy Spirit?
Where did cremation start and why is it growing in popularity?
Cremation and burial produce the same result - the dissolution of the body. Burial does so more slowly - especially after a good job of embalming. Cremation is quicker but there is one other important difference. Cremation is an active process in which the body is rapidly destroyed in a deliberate fashion.
Burial (and entombment) is passive in that God's normal process accomplishes its end without human intervention. It is just like a garden. God told Adam ". . .till thou return unto the ground: for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
Sorry no ashes - just dust.
Common Sayings from the Bible » “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”
Usage
Sometimes refers to the final breakdown of plans or is a comment about how human life is fragile and short.
Definition
In the biblical idea, humanity has a physical component which is earthly ('dust') and a spiritual component (breath or spirit). At death, the dust returns to the earth.Bible References
Thursday, 23 February 2012
ashes to ashes, dust to dust
You can’t find ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust’ in the Bible because it isn’t there! The phrase comes from the funeral service in the Book of Common Prayer, and it is based on Genesis 3:19. That passage says that we begin and end as dust. Where did the ashes come from? The compilers of the Book of Common Prayer were careful to produce what is called metrical text—text that when a congregation reads it, it all comes out even. So they pulled in Genesis 18:27 and Job 30:18, in which dust and ashes are both components of the human body. It’s also in Sirach 10:9 in the Apocrypha. (Sirach is also known as Ecclesiasticus.)
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” is poetic. That exact phrase is not in the Bible, but it is Biblical through and through.
Each church of the Anglican Communion has its own version of the Book of Common Prayer. In the current American version, this phrase appears on page 485 (Burial Rite 1) and on page 501 (Burial Rite 2) in a prayer that is said by the priest as earth is ceremonially cast on the coffin:
In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our brother <name>; and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth; ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless him and keep him, the Lord make his face to shine upon him and be gracious unto him and give him peace. Amen.
The funeral service is poignantly meaningful and a literary masterpiece that has rightly become part of the literary treasure of the English language. You’d be surprised how many pastors whose churches have no formal liturgy use the Book of Common Prayer as a worship resource.
In case you are wondering, the familiar wedding phrase, ‘dearly beloved, we are gathered here together…’ also comes from the Book of Common Prayer.
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