Both my mother and my father-in-law were diagnosed with dread illnesses just after Thanksgiving and one year apart. It's been debated whether there’s more sickness and death at the end-of-year holiday season than at other times.
Some sages insist it’s like sap in the trees. According to my friend, AI, “Sap flow in most trees decreases significantly during winter because the trees enter dormancy, photosynthesis stops and cold temperatures slow or even freeze the movement of sap.” So, the argument goes, we humans, like trees, are more susceptible to illness in cold weather because our lifeblood “sap” is lowered.
Or it may just be easier to remember our loved ones got sick at Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Or both may be true.
Several friends died in recent weeks, so death has been on my mind. Death around us is a sobering reminder that death comes for us.
I’ve officiated at some 400 funerals, so I’ve seen much of death.
In many cases the traditional funeral is three days after a death. Some say this is because of the body’s best presentation after embalming, and others say it’s based on Jesus’ resurrection on the third day. But in past years, and accelerated by COVID, we now see funerals a week or later after a death, and often without the body since there is private burial or cremation.
I think not hurrying to have a memorial service is a worthy consideration. I’ve seen families over the years rush into events and later regret some decisions.
Interestingly one thing I’ve seen a couple of times involves wedding rings. Surviving spouses debate leaving these with the deceased or keeping them. This seems a small matter, but it has been a major decision for some who’ve felt rushed to make a decision.
Another consideration is memorial gifts. I often feel free to suggest memorial gifts to the church that last longer and touch more people than floral tributes.
Another consideration with approaching death is estate planning. Financial experts say we’ll see the greatest wealth transfer in history with the passing of my generation, the boomers. This wealth we’ve accumulated and will leave behind amounts to between $84 and $124 trillion!
Where will this money go?
Of course, parents want to help their children and grandchildren, but it’s also possible to help our churches with bequests.
Most denominations have financial counseling agencies offering guidance without charge to church members about how to do this.
Long after other tributes fade, bequests to our churches will continue to fund missionary projects, provide for construction of new structures for preaching and teaching and undergird facility maintenance.
Death is coming, so we’re wise to make God-honoring plans now for the inevitable.
