Let me ask a question - who remembers the burning of Cain Hall in 1998? I hear tell that it was a beautiful building, historic building, absolutely lovely building. The night it caught fire, my friends watched with horror as grand pianos crashed from floor-to-floor and fire transformed all that was beautiful to ash. As this happened, do you know what onlookers did? They wept. Dr. Clyde Muse said: “Many students and families stood and watched the old building burn, and we shed tears like we were watching a family member die.” There was no celebration in Raymond that night.

Now, why do I state the obvious? A recent trend has been to rename funerals “celebrations of life” - a celebration of the life that was. Onlookers that fiery night found no reason to celebrate. When Solomon’s Temple was destroyed, Israelites sat down and wept, hanging their harps of celebration upon the willows (Ps. 137:1-2).And yet when we go to a funeral, we have before us someone more valuable than any building, than any artifice of which the pride and hubris of man may construct. We have before us someone made by God in the image of God. And we celebrate their passing? The enemies of Stephen celebrated his death, but his friends made a “great lamentation” over him (Acts 8:2). No one celebrated.If I may be excused for frankness, the only people who celebrated at the death of Jesus were His enemies (Mt. 27:39-43).

For some, death is a portal to new, better life with Christ in heaven. They now enjoy above Him who they only experienced below by faith. This may mitigate sorrow, but it does not transform sorrow into rejoicing. Does not every death remind us of the horror of sin? Sin mars the image of God, severs the most tender bond of affection, and fills graveyard after graveyard with the causalities of its curse. The image of God has been marred by our folly! Where is the cause for celebration? And the trite “Oh, they’re in a better place” does not alleviate the soul who remains in this place, dealing day after day with the horror of remaining sin!

And for those who leave this world unreconciled to God through Christ, how dare we cheapen terrifying judgment of God by calling the entrance into eternal punishment a celebration? The day of God’s grace has passed, and we celebrate? Someone has passed their days in enmity against God and unbelief in His Son, and we celebrate? No! No! Heavens no!

My friends, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig. No matter what title you give it, death is still horrible. But praise be to God that Christ has overcome death for us. Let the sorrow of death drive us more and more to see the ever-abundant love of Christ.