Death, for Christians, is understood not merely as an event that we must undergo at the end of life but also as an ever-present accompaniment to the story of our lives. It is an integral part of life, a mystery to be contemplated as we live. Just as we make decisions about how we choose to live, we also make decisions about how we would approach death—our own and the deaths of others—and an awareness of the fact that we will someday die is necessary for faithful living. Preparing for our own death is a vital part of our spiritual journey.
We
are People of the Incarnation. We all die. Death is a part of living.
Joseph
Campbell, the late great mythologist and anthropologist said that all cultures
throughout history have developed narratives—myths—that attempt to explain
death as a fact of life and yet also a profound mystery that offers meaning to
life.
Our
Christian narrative has a foundation that depends heavily on the connection
between life and death. Jesus said: I came so that you might have life and have
life abundantly.
That
life is a communal one—Trinitarian—all parties are in communion with one
another.
It
involves seeking wholeness (salvation)—rooted in notions of haelen and salvus.
It
involves compassion and suffering
It
involves living as one who looks upon death differently (not as the end, but as
the means).
We
don’t deal much with “illness” directly in this series, but let me say here
that as Christians, we can legitimately draw a distinction between “cure” and
“healing.”
Cure
is a biological process; healing is ontological—that is, it involves the
essence of meaning that transcends whatever reality may appear to be
biologically. Healing can and does occur even in the face of death. Death may
even be a means by which healing is experienced.
But
we have not always looked on death in this way. We will approach the
theological underpinnings of such perspectives in subsequent sessions, but I
want to spend a few minutes now highlighting some of the ways in which people
have viewed death across time.
I
begin with a pre-modern image known well because it continues to find
expression in subsets of our culture today.
Death
is the one who stalks its prey, conjuring up fear because of its inevitable,
comprehensive reach that touches all.
Death
as a mower with bandaged eyes
This
work was carried out by an unknown 17th C
artist.
Death
is often represented with a horse, a musical instrument, or with bow and
arrows, but also sometimes with a scythe; this drawing unites the last two
characteristics, which is rather rare.
The
bandaged eyes of Death are a clear symbol: it mows everybody, without making
any difference.
It is
difficult to determine to which gender this androgynous silhouette belongs—is
this a delicate man or an athletic woman??
An
unusual element in this work is that death is represented as a human with no
sign of decomposition—much more common to that era were representations of
death with skeletons, rotting corpses, and the like—very effective tools in
conveying the feelings of fear and horror.
This
color drawing on parchment by an anonymous master of the early 16th Century, shows Death with a bow and
arrow in its hands, arms outstretched in a gesture of triumph over humankind.
At
its sides are a man and woman, half naked. At its feet lie pell-mell some
clerics and laymen, representing the comprehensive scope of the victory—pope,
cardinal, bishop, abbot, and priest; emperor, king, count, gentleman, soldier,
peasant, scientist, userer, painter, musician and child.
The Triumph of Death
In this vision of the end of the world, painted by Pieter Bruegel the Older around 1562,
Death is at the center. Armed with scythe and rides an emaciated horse.
It pushes men into a crate with a door marked by a cross—it appears to be a trap door…
Death
is the enemy with whom we must negotiate
How
and when do you want to die?
“system failure”
Exsanguination
Sepsis
Cancer
Since
the 1950s, the road to death has taken a detour—technological imperative.
Is
dying “from natural causes” really an option anymore?
Now,
a caveat…
This
is not the image of death I want to espouse, nor is it one that affords us the
richest opportunity to engage the work of defining what is our
theology of death” as Christians, but it is a prominent, if not pre-eminent,
image of death for us today, so I offer it here:
We no
longer die at home, as former generations always have.
Who
here has been to a wake where the body was in the home prior to a funeral?
We no
longer experience death with all the senses—not even our food (chicken
breasts). Farmers knew death firsthand—we are no longer agrarian.
Our
experience of death has changed
-we live longer
-we don’t have death around us…
But
it is still experienced…in multiple dimensions as familial, social, and
spiritual events in the lives of others who surround the one who is dying.
Week Two:Death in Culture
In
the Christian understanding, death is not a bad thing—a consciousness of the
fact that we will someday die is a necessary accompaniment to faithful living.
And
yet…
Yet
we receive little support from contemporary society for our Christian endeavor
to face death in life. Our culture conspires against acknowledging its
inevitability.
-dying persons are concealed
-we speak in euphamisms--of “passing
away” or “losing” those we love.
-medicalization of death (treats death as a
biological accident)
-films
show heroes with remarkable resistance to the demise of death
-violence
in video games, action films, “comic” books minimize death
As
Christians, we
live in the paradox of death’s universal sting, while hoping to find meaning in
and through it as well. (we’ll say much more about that next week)
Our culture, far from understanding this paradoxical mystery, nevertheless knows it at some level too.
Why else would it be that even as our culture conceals death in a heavy cloak
of silence (at one level), it is obsessed with death (17% GDP
on health care, violence
in films, etc.). And yet, death is there
at every turn, too. Why? Because we cannot control it—so we create a fantasy of
fictional entertainment—movies, video games, horror houses, interventional
health care system, etc.
But
there is something more to be gleaned…
What are some ways in which we see death
in our culture?
Most Oscar winning
movies deal with death as a significant subject matter:
2009 The
Hurt Locker
2008 Slumdog Millionaire
2007 No
Country For Old Men
2006 The
Departed
2005 Crash
Lord
of the Rings
Chicago (characters connected by shooting
death)
Gladiator
Others: Titanic, English Patient, Braveheart,
Schindler’s List, Unforgiven, Silence of the Lambs…
Music connects too. Funeral
March—Chopin’s 3rd
movement of Piano Sonata
And lest we think it is only classical
music that speaks to death, here’s a clip from music video in pop culture.
Evanescence, a band from LR, Bring Me TO Life—a song about wistful loss of
life, suicide and letting go…themes addressed to our children.
Poetry and Literature: Google “Death
poem” and you’ll get more than 6 million hits. I challenge you to think of any
classical or modern poet of some measure of fame whose pen has not probed the
poetic truth of death. It is rich.
And then there are the visual arts.
 |
Guernica,
Picasso’s famous painting depicting the bombing of Guernica, Spain in 937 as
part of the Spanish Civil War.
|
 |
Neil’s
“Death of a Child”
|
 |
David’s
famous “death of Marat”
|
 |
Munch’s
The Scream
|
 |
Gustav
Klimt’s “Death and Life”
(1911)
|
Satellite
photo of smoke rising from WTC collapse, 9/11/2001. 250 miles above earth.
My
experience with Rutter’s Requiem on 9/11.
2011-Trinity
Requiem composed by Robert Moran.
The
arts deal with death in a way that technological knowledge cannot—there is
meaning to be found in our artistic expressions of death.
I
have offered just a few artistic expressions of death—by no means exhaustive, and I do
not mean to suggest that what these artists have rendered is “correct” in some
way for you or me, but art approaches life with some target of mystic wholeness
in mind.
Left
brain—Right Brain functioning
Right
brain is where much of the insight, the deep mystery of life and death,
resides.
Metaphor is ultimately a very faithful servant of
truth—the paradox of seeing and not seeing discloses the central nature of a
metaphor (and through it what symbolic meanings we draw in our experience of
life)
Art
operates in the realm of the metaphor—it is where the spiritual reality is
conjoined with, and stands behind, the physical reality—it is a means by which
we can discover what is holy, important, sacred, meaningful, etc.
So I
am going to ask you to spend the next few minutes with your right brain
driving…
It is not easy for many of us
You will not be asked to share, although those
who want to can
Close
your eyes, if you wish, and peer deep for what is there.
When I say “picture death,” what do you see?
If you were to render the
mystery in some artiful
expression, what would
it be? When I say “picture death,” what do you see?
Listen to Rutter's Requiem here
Listen to Barber's Adagio (organ setting) here.
Week Three--Theological Perspectives of Death
What is the concept of time in your
doctrine of creation? i.e., did time exist before creation? Is time part of the created order? What is
timelessness?
•The
Anglican spiritual tradition has been incarnational, one that emphasizes a
sacramental view of the material world, finding in it the outward and visible
signs of inward and spiritual grace.
•It
celebrates the goodness of God’s creation, often with a tendency toward deification (God
became human that humans might become divine—an Orthodox view emphasizing our
objective as one of communion with God in life).
•
It is a kingdom theology,
rooted in our sacramental theology,
thoroughly grounded in common worship,
and
envisions a continuity between the people
of God in scripture and the people of God in our time.
Salvation history is a record of God’s
agency that continues today, and our liturgical life bears witness to that
hope.
Notion of
Redemption is not “christian”—it finds expression in OT and NT and in
cultures of ancient Near East.
Our
tradition has not been monolithic in its expression—indeed, Chalcedon committed
to clear understanding of the “person” of Christ, but never saw fit to derive
one doctrine of soteriology.
Four
(or five) have found prominent expression over the course of our history:
1.Divinization (theosis)—more
common in Eastern tradition. God became human so that humans might become
divine..
Work of God is in Christ
Locus of work is in incarnation and in
death and resurrection of JC.
Athanasius, Gregory of Aza., Rahner
2.Christus Victor
Christ is our representative in cosmic
battle between God and devil
Irenaeus, Augustine, Gregory the Great
Humanity is trapped and enslaved by the
devil until God (using Jesus) frees us
3.Satisfaction
Humans have caused the mess and are
indebted to God—the debt is paid by death as a result of our disobedience and
sin.
Humans have no means to pay the debt
since we already owe everything to God.
Only a God-Man has ability
(God)
and the obligation
(man) to pay the debt.
Since Jesus had no sin (and therefore, no
debt to God), he is our representative in paying the debt on our behalf
Anselm
4.Substitution (derivation of the
Satisfaction theory)
Penal
substitution—Jesus
takes our place and bears our punishment even though we deserve eternal
punishment
Reformed tradition, our own Rite I
5.Moral Example
JC lives and dies to fulfill what we
cannot.
JC is epitome of love-dying in loving
sacrifice on cross.
JC died for our sins but not to conjure
up our guilt but out of shear love.
Our loving response is to follow in his
footsteps, acting in sacrificial love
Abelard.
•Resurrection—is
rising to life from death (not specifically Christian in origin)
• -different from resuscitation or reanimation
of the physical body
• -denotes a complete transformation of the
human body and spirit (totality is affected/changed—1 Cor
15_35-55)
•Something
which happened in the past has inaugurated something new, which will reach its
final consummation in the future.
•Contemplation
of the Christian hope serves as a solace and balm to those who fear the end of
life by reminding them that something more wonderful awaits them beyond
•The
theology of death that we as Christians adopt is one that looks on death
through the lens of Easter—through the promise that the sting is real, very
real, but it is not final.
•In
all cultures, burial rites exist as liminal periods—moments of transition for
the departed and the bereaved –it is a time of change in nature of
relationships.
•For
Christians, the burial rite echoes our rites of baptism and eucharist
because they are rooted in the Paschal mystery of Christ’s death and
resurrection.
•The
burial rite also echoes the Liturgy of All Saints, because we claim with
assurance that we take our place in the communion of saints. God’s grace knows
no bounds of time and space the way we do.
Past
…but there is also the statement in
Matthew 27: At that moment the curtain of the temple
was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.
The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep
were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the
holy city and appeared to many.
Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds: He descended
to the dead…
Present
John 5:24 he who hears my word has
eternal life…has passed form death to life”
He who eats this bread will live forever
(Jn
6:58)
Jesus will raise them up on the last day
(John 6:40, 11:25)
Future
1 Cor. 15:20 … resurrection is an act of
God, who raised Jesus from the dead as the “first fruits” in anticipation of
the general resurrection.
-the
resurrected will shine like stars (Dan. 12.3)
-the
resurrected will be like the angels (Mark 12:25)
-not
thought to be an individual event but a corporate event—God would raise all the
elect at the end of history (timelessness)
-outside
the bounds of time
Jesus’ resurrection offers the connection
between redemption and eschatology
For Paul, Jesus’ resurrection enables
believers to live in the knowledge that death has been overcome, and eternal
life will be experienced in the age to come. (parousia)—HOPE for eternal life (which is a life
uninterrupted by death)
Eternal life—vindication for the Son of
Man (Mark 7?)
Romans 5:12-21—new creation
Eph. 4:6-8—heavenly exaltation.
Resurrection—so what?
Jesus’ resurrection offers the connection
between redemption and eschatology
•God
is making all things new.
•New
creation in Rev. 22—Bridegroom says Come, all come—new creation gathers up all
(incarnational)
•Parousia
(fullness of Christ’s coming in glory)—vanquishing death and forces of evil
•Hope for eternal life—not something to be
experienced after death, but here and now
•Already done (past), offered now
(present), fully experienced in future
For Paul, Jesus’ resurrection enables
believers to live in the knowledge that death has been overcome, and eternal
life will be experienced in the age to come. (parousia)—HOPE for eternal life (which is a life
uninterrupted by death)
For Christians, the burial rite echoes
our rites of baptism and eucharist
because they are rooted in the Paschal mystery of Christ’s death and
resurrection.
The burial rite also echoes the Liturgy
of All Saints, because we claim with assurance that we take our place in the
communion of saints. God’s grace knows no bounds of time and space the way we
do.
Chronos
vs. Kairos
Recall that on the first night we spoke
of our identity as an incarnational people
--enfleshed,
incarnate
--broadened
meaning as People of the Incarnation of God’s Son (Trinitarian)
Nowhere is this more pronounced than in
the burial rites
Two
parts:
Commending the deceased to God
Committing the body to the ground.
Communal—Both parts occur in the company
of those who grieve…
A funeral is, therefore, for the one who
has died, for his body’s care, and for those who grieve.
At your tables, take a look at a
section of the burial office together.
What
strikes you about this component? Themes? Shortcomings? Etc.
Week Four--End of Life Decisions
Even though we cannot normally plan when
we die, we often can direct some aspects of the dying process.
First, a disclaimer: I am no attorney,
but making these decisions in advance is a gift.
•Removes
the burden of trying to make those decisions at a very stressful moment.
•Removes
the potential for family members to spend their energy disagreeing, rather than
focusing their attention on you and each other.
•Puts
you in charge!
Legal tools are available (but only of value if they are completed!)
Religious
tools are available too. (that’s one primary objective of this series)
We have forms here which are recognized
by the State of Arkansas.
What is required to execute these
documents?
•At
least 18 years of age
•Of
sound mind
•Must
be signed (not verbal, but can be signed by another at the declarant’s
direction)
•Witnessed
by two individuals
•Does
not need to be notarized in Arkansas
When does it become operative?
•When
it is communicated to the attending physician, and
•when
the declarant is determined by the attending physician and another physician in
consultation either to be
in a terminal condition and no longer
able to make decisions regarding administering life-sustaining treatment, or
to be permanently unconscious
How is it revoked?
•By
the declarant at any time and in any manner without regard to the declarant’s
mental or physical condition. Tear up the copies!!!
•The
attending physician shall make the revocation part of the medical record.
Five Wishes—a
copyrighted form of an advanced directive combining a living will and health care power of
attorney
in addition to addressing matters of comfort care and spirituality.
Originally developed by Jim Towey who
had worked with Mother Teresa of Calcutta as legal counsel for her outreach intiatives here
in US.
He and others founded a non-profit, Aging
With Dignity, with a focus “to improve end-of-life care by encouraging people
to make medical decisions in advance of a serious illness.”
It began in Florida, then modified by the
ABA in 1998 and is now accepted as a legally-recognized form in 40 states,
including Arkansas.
Answer Five Questions (wishes)
Advance planning required (you won’t get a say at that time)
Talk with your family and your priest
Make decisions (cremation, columbarium/plot, context for funeral, etc.)
Tell us what you would like us to do? (at
funeral/memorial svc, etc.)
It has been stated that your
consideration of death gives rise to the need to plan ahead for this inevitable
event. There are, however, two basic
types of detailed planning involved in this process:
(1)planning
for the disposition and burial of your body, and
(2)planning
for the disposition of your estate (any money, property, or other assets that
you will leave behind).
Estate planning is an essential aspect of
Christian stewardship. As you prepare
for your death, you will want to think about how you will want to share—to the
glory of God and the ongoing care of God’s people—the gifts God has graciously
yet temporarily given into your possession.
Celebrate! Celebrate the abundance with which you have
been blessed by God. Celebrate your generous support of charitable endeavors.
And share that joy with Grace!
Using the forms available here, and the
BCP and Hymnal, begin to “plan” your funeral.
Blessing: THE
God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great
Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant; Make you
perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well
pleasing in his sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and
ever. Amen.
Please feel free to email me for specific documents referenced here.
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