When the tent falls down – a message for the Christian’s funeral.

Following on from yesterday, there comes a time for us all, when our bodies will collapse, as a tent falls to the ground, so will we. If we live our lives without that thought in mind then we have lived foolishly. But Paul reminds us that this is something not to be feared but rather to be embraced.

“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ² Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, ³ because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 5 v 1-5)

For we know.

• As a Christian we know. Not everyone. But we who follow Christ as disciples, we know. This is not a wish, or a worldly hope, it is a knowing. It is certain.
• We have 2 homes. A temporary one (the tent) and a permanent home (the house).
• When the tent collapses it is the best thing that has happened to us because it is then when we move into our eternal forever, never to be destroyed, house.
• Our bodies groan, are longing, and are burdened, wishing to be in this heavenly dwelling, to be clothed with a different body.
• The tent may collapse under the weight of physical or mental disease, emaciated perhaps, wrinkled definitely! But the longing within us for a perfect, resurrected, forever body will be realised.
• It may look like our bodies are overtaken by death but the truth is are wasting bodies will be overtaken by life.
• We are fashioned for this, all our difficulties in this life are preparing us for this.
• The Holy Spirit, our helper, continually reminds us, points us in the direction, is the sign in our life that all that Paul has said will happen not to only others but to us, to you.
• The Holy Spirit is a guarantee. A word which means ‘an engagement ring’ pointing to the wedding. Engagements are wonderful but they only reveal that something greater is coming, the marriage!