A Guide for Christian Burial Practices
By Pastor Bill Wangelin
More Christians are choosing cremation as a burial option for a number of reasons. Some choose it for financial reasons, some for practical reasons, and some because it is more socially acceptable. Cremation was not historically an option for Christians, so there are not a lot of longstanding Christian customs or traditions with regards to cremation. What should Christians consider when it comes to cremation of a Christian? Our actions and customs around death and burial say something about our belief in what comes next. Christians have a lot to profess when it comes to life after death in light of Jesus’ resurrection. The following hopes to serve as a guide to help Christians make godly decisions about how we treat the deceased human body.
There is nothing in the Bible that forbids cremation. The church cannot make any new laws or commands that would burden people’s consciences. The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod has no official position on the matter. However, as Christians, we seek best practices that are informed by our faith and that give witness of our faith to the world.
What is Cremation?
In cremation, the body is burned until only the bones remain. These are then ground up into a powder with the ashes, and the remains placed in a container. It should be noted that in the cremation mechanism, not all the remains can be thoroughly extracted, so some of the ashes remain in the machine, and some ashes from previous cremations may be mixed in with others. The ashes are then given to the family for their use. Legally, the ashes are no longer considered a human body, as the body has been thoroughly destroyed.
People do all sorts of things with the ashes from cremation, and more creative uses are being discovered every day. Some are placed in an urn and put on a shelf in a home. Some are pressed into diamonds and worn as jewelry. Others are scattered in a field or body of water, or placed in coral reefs. The possibilities are endless.
Why did Christians historically not practice cremation?
Christians (and Jews) believe in a resurrection of the body, that our body is a gift from the Lord and part of his good creation. Jesus taught that when He would come again, our bodies would be raised up to eternal life. Jesus demonstrated this in His own resurrection, when He showed His disciples that He was not a ghost, but had flesh and bones that they could touch and feel. Likewise, our bodies are now a temple of the Holy Spirit, and will be raised up on the last day. The Christian hope is not merely that our souls go to heaven when we die, but that our bodies will be raised to life on the last day. Christians consequently value the human body more than any other religion or philosophy.
Greek and Roman pagans did not believe in a resurrection of the body, but that a person’s body had no use after death. This was demonstrated by burning the body and scattering the ashes, to show the utter disappearance of the person.
In the Bible, burning is always a picture of judgment, and is associated with the fire of hell. Thus, in the Middle Ages, heretics were burned to show their judgment by God, and to burn someone’s body was to deny the possibility of their resurrection to eternal life.
How do Christians treat the dead body of a Christian?
Jesus (and St. Paul) resisted speaking of the dead as dead. Notably, Jesus referred to Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:49-56) and His friend Lazarus (John 11:11) as “sleeping.” St. Paul talks about those who have “fallen asleep” until Christ’s return, when their bodies will wake up to eternal life. The biblical word for death is “sleep” because those who are sleeping wake up! In addition, St. Paul speaks of how the natural body is “sown” before it is raised a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44. It is sown a perishable body and raised an imperishable body. It is sown in weakness and raised in glory. The image is that the body is like a seed that is planted in the ground, dead in appearance, yet sprouts to new life. How would a Christian have their body prepared for burial with this Biblical language in mind?
In the Old Testament, the people of God had tombs where people’s bodies were laid to rest. The Old Testament phrase is “He rested with his fathers, and was buried…” Their existence was marked and remembered, and their bodies were honored. We also remember that our Lord Jesus was laid in a tomb before His resurrection. Christians have continued this practice, carefully preserving the body and marking its existence and resting place, where it would wait for the return of Christ.
A Christian funeral makes reference to the resurrection of the body, not merely that the soul is with Jesus. We take comfort in knowing that at the moment of death, our loved ones are “with the Lord.”(Philippians 1:23). But it would be incomplete to ignore the promise of the resurrection of the dead, of which Christ is the first fruits (see 1 Corinthians 15).
Can God Raise Ashes?
There is no doubt that God can raise a body from the dead after it has been cremated. When Christ returns, the sea will give up it’s dead, and all who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake – even those bodies who have been turned to dust (as most bodies have). Daniel 12:2 says “those who sleep in the dust of the earth” will awaken to eternal life. The power of God is so great that he can raise up and restore to life any body, in any shape, in any place.
The issue then, is not about the power of God to raise the cremated body, but the witness of our faith that is given in how we treat the deceased body of a Christian, cremated or otherwise. How is our Christian faith made evident in our burial practices?
What About Cremation for Christians?
If a Christian decides to have their body (or the body of a loved one) cremated, then they need to consider how to demonstrate our faith in “the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come” in the way they treat the cremated remains of a Christian. They should honor the body remains and lay them properly to rest until the return of Christ when they will be raised from the dead.
Here are some ways that a Christian body that has been cremated can be honored in accordance with our Christian faith:
- A Christian memorial service should be held that clearly professes the resurrection of the body and Jesus’ victory over death at his resurrection.
- The ashes should be kept together (not separated or scattered) and buried in the ground or placed in a columbarium or memorial garden.
- The final resting place should be marked with the person’s name in memory of that person.
- When the ashes are laid to rest, there should be a clear message of hope in the resurrection, just as in a committal graveside service, as the ashes are commended into the hands of God in the hope of the resurrection.
These four guidelines, along with counsel and guidance from your pastor, should serve Christians well as we adapt our burial customs yet cling to the same message of hope that we have in our resurrected and living Lord Jesus. Pastoral care will provide more wisdom on how to navigate the grieving process and look to the Lord for comfort and consolation. More and more, our customs and actions make us distinct from the rest of the world, and those who “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.” Christ has been raised from the dead, and so we stand in a living hope of our future with Him, and confidently profess our believe “in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Postscript: The four guidelines for Christian cremation practices were the reason for creating the Memorial Garden at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Lansing, Michigan. After observing cases where one or more of these guidelines were not followed, the church created a means to direct the faithful to faithful practices of Christian burial that are more consistent with our past practice and common confession of faith. For information on the memorial garden, go to www.oursaviorlansing.org/memorialgarden.