Many of you will recognize these words as the first phrase of Psalm 116:15, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Another way to render these words would be, "The death of one of his saints is no light matter in the sight of the Lord." What this means and how it applies is the key to one more step along the path of men taking dominion in the lives of their families.

The fact that all of us die is no great revelation. As with all the inevitabilities of life, that they happen is not quite so important as how we react to them. The Bible is full of the stories of men who passed from this life with their life's work in various stages of completion. What were the consequences of their deaths? How were their deaths reacted to by those around them?

Joshua 14 relates the story of Caleb and the giants in the hill country of Judah. This work was completed, nothing needed to be taken up by the next generation. David was very successful at subjugating the neighboring nations, but was unable to start the work on the temple. Solomon was able to devote himself to this task because he was at peace with all his neighbors. Solomon completed the work begun by his father David. Another example like this one is the prophetic ministry of Elijah. We read how his cloak was given to Elisha, his servant, when he was taken up in the fiery chariot. The work was not complete, someone had to carry on.

Yet another twist on this model is that of Jesus and the apostles. Christ clearly finished the work of redemption during his life on earth. The apostles took the message of that redemption to the entire Roman Empire. The ministry of Christ made the ministry of the apostles possible. None of these deaths was void of real spiritual significance—it is the same today. The death of our Savior was no accident—it was perfectly timed from the foundation of the world. If he is our pattern, then can we not see that none of us "just die"? We die when our Father is ready for us to. Just as the disciples were not ready to part with Jesus, so we are not always ready to part with those we know when they are called home. Upon reflection, however, we can see the plan and the wisdom of the decrees of our Heavenly Father.

If every member of the body of Christ is a minister, then the death of that minister is an event of some significance. Questions must be asked and answered. Wisdom must be sought and the wishes of our Lord must be determined and implemented. What ministry did this person have? What role did they play in their family? Does their death leave a gap that the Scriptures call us as believers to fill? How will this be done? If every member is a priest, then what element of their work is finished? What elements need to be carried on?

Have you ever been a part of a group that asks and answers these questions? I wasn't for the first twenty years of my ministry. Recently I was challenged by the Word and other believers to re-think this whole issue and during that process I received an opportunity to participate in the funeral for the mother of a close Christian friend. I shared this challenge with him and I can say without hesitation that this is the first funeral of the many I have participated in that actually made a substantial contribution to the kingdom. What happened is that we were able to place the life of this departed saint into the developing mosaic of the Kingdom of God. I was overjoyed to see the family and friends able to address the questions that always come up at these times and are never answered. Questions like, "Why did this happen?" "What does all this mean?" I had always thought these questions were not answerable, but this is not true. Admittedly, not all questions can be answered immediately, but dealing with them in a scriptural way gives those who mourn genuine hope and confidence that God is indeed on the throne and he can be trusted to work all things together for good.

What needs to happen in order to expedite this matter is for the family and the family-like church to regain their position in planning and carrying out the funeral. Most funeral directors I know will only move in and take over in a vacuum. If nobody else will plan and perform, they will. If you make it known as an individual or church leader that you have some definite wishes, these will be accommodated in almost every case.

What plans can we make now so that the real significance of our lives is not lost in the shuffle of hurried preparations at the time of our passing? What are our options? Does it make a difference? It seems logical that the real importance of our lives should be the focus, not the necessary details. Keeping things simple seems to make concentrating on the real priorities more possible. Planning for the details in advance makes emphasizing the important elements much easier when the time comes.

Why not have the funeral in the home? Home school, home church, home industry, home health care, home funeral—seems like a logical progression, doesn't it? If this is not possible, why not use your congregation's building? If the fellowship you attend is not in a position to provide this to you, a building can usually be rented for a modest cost. The key is planning. As a church leader I make it my job to challenge the members of our fellowship with the need to think these things through. If they don't, then why don't the elders step in and take a leadership role rather than the funeral director? We don't want to be too forward here, but surely an elder has a greater stake in this than the local funeral director.

Use the funeral service to address the issues raised earlier in this article. Skip the platitudes and the familiar verses and do some serious dealing with God on behalf of the family. The pat answers may even be true, but they lack the power of application to a specific situation. Give the family a service that focuses on the godly heritage that is being raised up. Explain what is going on here from a kingdom perspective. Raise the level of awareness of everyone there. Is God in control or not? Why is this a cause for celebration? If the deceased person is a believer, it should be!

Finally, investigate what options you have in regard to the actual elements of the service you want to plan. Buy your own casket—don't pay the middle man. Better yet, make your own casket, or have someone make one for you. Investigate being buried on your own land. When you look into it, you will probably be amazed at how simple and inexpensive a funeral can be. Vaults, embalming, purchasing a funeral plot, etc. can almost always be avoided if you make arrangements ahead of time. As I said earlier, the key here is to plan.

I urge you, look into you options. Take dominion here so that the real importance of the life that has just ended won't be lost in the shuffle. Take this opportunity to minister and assert your position as the head of your home. Don't merely contract professionals and write a check! Keep it simple and dignified so the real messages aren't lost. You will discover that this area of responsibility brings great blessing—but you must actually shoulder the load!

I have a small pamphlet that I will gladly provide that can assist you in making these arrangements. Remember the words of Solomon, "The wise man sees trouble approaching and makes preparation...."

For more information, send a SASE to Funeral Options, 500 Hereford Park, New Haven, MO 63068.