Funerals

Tonight David attended a funeral of the wife of a recent graduate of the Bible College in Sapporo who died aged 46. Actually it was the first part of the funeral and already several other ceremonies will have taken place between the time of death and the evening wake. Tomorrow morning there will be a further funeral ceremony not unlike this evening, then the body is taken to the crematorium, following which the mourners complete the final part of the funeral proceedings by placing the bones in a casket. This evening was a very moving occasion. There are some things which are similar to a Christian funeral in the west - hymns, Bible reading, prayers, a short message. But some other traditions are different. Usually one or two people share some memories of the deceased - these are always moving moments. At the end, the next of kin (in this case the husband and two teenage children) stand at the front and the husband said a few words to those who had gathered. And then finally, before leaving everyone proceeds to the front and places a flower on a table in front of the area where the coffin is laid. Funerals in Japan are often Buddhist with sutras chanted by the priest, the smell of incense and no sense of any hope. Tonight the pastor rightly said that we do not know why a wife, mother and daughter was taken at such an early age - but we are not without hope and can in the midst of sadness know the grace and comfort of the Lord. The church family in Japan is small but there is always such a sense of caring for one another. It was good to have been there tonight to see that love expressed in very tangible ways.