What about Cremation?

I sometimes still get questions about cremation. Some people may remember that, years ago, cremation was verboten (forbidden) in the Lutheran church. Has anything changed?

As best as I can tell, many people in the past were trying to make some kind of statement by having their remains cremated. They might have been atheists who denied that there was any kind of existence after death. Apparently, some meant to mock God by having their ashes scattered and not being around for Judgment Day, as if to say, "Try and get me!"

That is foolishness, of course. The Bible itself says, "For dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return" (Genesis 3:19, or see NIV). The same God who created human beings from dust can certainly reassemble scattered ashes in order to fashion a resurrection body for us. Otherwise, what would happen to those who die in fires, or those who perished on 9/11 and whose remains were never recovered?

You might have a number of valid reasons for wanting to be cremated, not the least of which include rising costs for funerals and cemetery plots. Just be sure that you're not denying your hope of resurrection. Death is not the end, but we look forward to the day when Christ will "transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body" (Philippians 3:21).