In June of 1953, one month before Richland Hills Christian Church was planted, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was officially coronated as the Queen of the United Kingdom. On Monday, an estimated 4 billion people from all around the world watched the broadcast of her funeral, with around 2,000 in attendance. Such staggering numbers speak to the impact her life had upon the world, but these numbers also speak to the seriousness with which human beings treat death.

While Western society is increasingly “death-phobic” (as evidenced by the reduction in the frequency with which a funeral or memorial service is held following a death, along with the decline in attendance at such services when they are held), even so, an event like the Queen’s funeral reminds us of the importance of such commemorations. By weeping over the death of His friend Lazarus in John 11, Jesus shows us that an essential part of honoring a life is to grieve when it is gone. For millennia, Christians (along with billions of others) have recognized the vital role of funeral services in giving expression to such grief, thereby honoring the life that has been lost.

“It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” As I’ve written before, a funeral-averse culture is an unwise culture, for it is only by forcing ourselves to look at the horror of death that we can find comfort in the One who suffered death to deliver us from the fear of death (Heb 2:14-15).

Two days before the funeral of the Queen, some of us gathered for the funeral of a king. The first man and woman were made in the image of the King of all Creation and were commissioned by Him to be His representatives on the earth. In other words, to serve as His priests and kings. Despite humanity’s rebellion and the subsequent curse that fell upon creation, those redeemed in Christ have been restored to the “priest-king” office intended for each of God’s image-bearers. We see this in 1 Peter 2:9, where Peter writes to every believer: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

While there weren’t thousands in attendance or billions tuning in, the funeral service of our beloved Byron Graham was no less important for those who attended, and the promises proclaimed were no less powerful. Thank you all who attended the service to honor this great “priest-king”!

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Evan

Related prior article: "Cremation and Funerals"