Christian Funeral Service Rites & Rituals

Do you have to attend a Christian funeral service?

And you know nothing about the rites and rituals?

Funerals are religious and sentimental occasions. And if you know nothing about Christian funerals, you might do or speak something wrong which hurt the grievers’ feelings. So, it is always better to read about the Christian funeral rituals and then attend the ceremony.

Here is everything you need to know before attending a Christian funeral service –

Christian’s Afterlife Belief

Christians have a strong belief in the afterlife. According to their belief, after death, the soul of the deceased is sent to heaven, hell, or purgatory depending on their deeds. The most righteous souls will go to heaven, sinners will go to hell, and if their sins are forgivable, they serve time at purgatory before moving to heaven.

Burial or Cremation?

Burial and cremation both are allowed in Christian belief. Burial is the preferred act because they believed in resurrection and the afterlife. However, if someone is cremated, it is respectfully buried instead of thrown in water or scattered away.

Steps of Christian Funeral

1. Preparation of body

Christians believe in an afterlife and that is why the deceased’s body must be cleaned before they can enter Heaven. So, the body is first washed and then dressed in the deceased’s best clothes. Embalming is also an acceptable practice in Christianity and this is done before the funeral service.

After cleaning, the body is placed in a casket with hands crossed on top of the chest. A bible, prayer book, or rose is placed in hands according to the deceased’s desire.

2. The Wake or Christian Funeral Service

The wake is all about remembering the deceased in good words. It is usually held at the church, crematorium, or cemetery. Here are the important steps of the ceremony:

• When the family and friends are seated, the pallbearers carry the casket to the room (music is sometimes played at this time) and the priest or minister sprinkles the holy water on the casket.
• Prayer and hymns are said and sung throughout the funeral service. These prayers and hymns are carefully selected to provide hope and comfort to the deceased’s family and friends.
• A mass (a Holy prayer or Holy Communion) is delivered by the priest or minister. However, it is not a necessary part of a Christian funeral service and some funerals might not have it. However, if they do, the service would last another 30 minutes.
• A eulogy is given by a family member or a close friend of the deceased. A eulogy is a praising speech or writing read by someone close to the deceased to honor and remember him or her in good words.
• The service is concluded by words of the priest or minister and the attendees go to the burial site.

3. The Burial

The burial also consists of a brief service at the burial site and prayers are said by the priest or minister. After that, friends and family members are asked to say their final goodbyes. This may include putting a flower on the casket, saying a prayer, or placing a small amount of dirt on the casket.

4. The Reception

In the end, the attendees of the funeral service gather at the deceased home to show emotional support to the grieving family. Traditionally, the host family provides food and drinks to the attendees.

 So, if you looking for funeral service near me, feel free to contact Siyuan Memories for best and well organized Christian funeral services in Malaysia.