Last Tuesday we heard some shocking news. The pastor of the church where we worked for 8 years had been found dead in the church. We had spent a year together from 2007-8 when we handed the leadership on to Pastor Ishihara. He leaves a wife, two boys (aged 13 and 10) as well as a foster child (aged 3). For the last week we have entered into the grief and shock of the family and church members as they come to terms with this tragedy. A funeral in Japan usually takes place the day after death (or at the latest the following day) and even before that there are ceremonies at different points. The coffin is open at the head and people go to look and even touch the dead body. The funeral itself starts with an evening wake which is like any funeral would be in the west - some hymns, prayers, a Bible message and a eulogy about the deceased (which David gave). The coffin is left in the church and then the next part of the funeral takes place the following morning - a similar service with a different Bible passage and message. Then come some of the most emotional moments. People file past the coffin and place a flower beside the deceased's head. Then the family say their final farewells before the lid of the coffin is shut. After that the coffin is placed in a bus and some of the mourners travel to the crematorium. This is also a very emotional time as there is a further small ceremony just before the coffin is wheeled in front of one of a series of doors and then disappears while everyone looks on. People then move to another room and eat lunch together before returning to the crematorium for the final part of the funeral ceremonies. The bones of the deceased are wheeled out on a trolley and everyone uses chopsticks to place the bones in a casket. That may seem quite gruesome to those are used to the way things happen in the west but people here are quite used to it, indeed quite matter-of-fact about it. Sometimes a close family member may receive a bone to keep personally. The casket is then handed over before the bus takes everyone back to the church for a final hymn and prayer and often a greeting from the deceased's next of kin. A Japanese funeral is a long process and happens very quickly after death. For us, we have come to appreciate many of the ceremonies which take place and indeed the open attitude towards death. Now though for the family and the members of Otaru Church a long hard road lies ahead. We will share more about this in our next update.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
A sad day
Last Tuesday we heard some shocking news. The pastor of the church where we worked for 8 years had been found dead in the church. We had spent a year together from 2007-8 when we handed the leadership on to Pastor Ishihara. He leaves a wife, two boys (aged 13 and 10) as well as a foster child (aged 3). For the last week we have entered into the grief and shock of the family and church members as they come to terms with this tragedy. A funeral in Japan usually takes place the day after death (or at the latest the following day) and even before that there are ceremonies at different points. The coffin is open at the head and people go to look and even touch the dead body. The funeral itself starts with an evening wake which is like any funeral would be in the west - some hymns, prayers, a Bible message and a eulogy about the deceased (which David gave). The coffin is left in the church and then the next part of the funeral takes place the following morning - a similar service with a different Bible passage and message. Then come some of the most emotional moments. People file past the coffin and place a flower beside the deceased's head. Then the family say their final farewells before the lid of the coffin is shut. After that the coffin is placed in a bus and some of the mourners travel to the crematorium. This is also a very emotional time as there is a further small ceremony just before the coffin is wheeled in front of one of a series of doors and then disappears while everyone looks on. People then move to another room and eat lunch together before returning to the crematorium for the final part of the funeral ceremonies. The bones of the deceased are wheeled out on a trolley and everyone uses chopsticks to place the bones in a casket. That may seem quite gruesome to those are used to the way things happen in the west but people here are quite used to it, indeed quite matter-of-fact about it. Sometimes a close family member may receive a bone to keep personally. The casket is then handed over before the bus takes everyone back to the church for a final hymn and prayer and often a greeting from the deceased's next of kin. A Japanese funeral is a long process and happens very quickly after death. For us, we have come to appreciate many of the ceremonies which take place and indeed the open attitude towards death. Now though for the family and the members of Otaru Church a long hard road lies ahead. We will share more about this in our next update.
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Brother, I am sorry for your loss. Our prayers are with you!
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