Gravestones that confess
It’s important to me that my tombstone confesses Christ and particularly the hope of the resurrection. When visiting Montpelier last weekend, we went to the Madison family graveyard to see the stones of President James and Dolley. After seeing them, I turned and saw this on another grave marker:
"Cling to Jesus"
It’s not at all what I would choose, but I love walking through old graveyards and looking at the stones. You get the sense that this person actually believes what is chiseled into the stone. (Unfortunately, I didn’t even get to look at the other side because the fastest-moving storm I’ve ever witnessed came in and started pelting us with hailstones. Kassie’s umbrella broke in the wind, we got soaked to the bone trying to get back to the car, and now we may have a mold problem in the car because the seats got utterly drenched as well. A tree limb fell close to where we were running, and for a minute I experienced such fear that I thought of Luther when he vowed to become a monk, wondering how my fear compared to his. Other than that, the day was wonderful, though. Really!)
Modern cemeteries are filled with trite banalities; the same architects of the modern funeral have likewise destroyed unique gravestones and particularly, gravestones that confess. Faithful Christians still try to select something that indicates their faith, but are too often forced to select something from a catalog of trivialities. At the bottom of the stone was inscribed a verse from Ps. 127:
"He giveth his beloved sleep"
It is clear that Christians of other ages interpreted the references to “sleep” in Holy Scripture as applying also to death, in which the body slumbers. When I first began to visit funeral parlors as a pastor, I discovered that even faithful Christians rarely think of the resurrection of the body, and the ensuing years have only deepened that opinion. Too many of my parishioners have accepted the heretical opinion that the body is a shell, shuffled off in death as the soul floats on to a solely-spiritual paradise. So I’d like to put the Nicene Creed on my tombstone; but since that probably won’t fit, could somebody please arrange to put a nice cross on there, with the four corners reading IC XC NI KA, and underneath it, “I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come”?
Oh, here are the stones of President James and and Dolley. They are simple and unremarkable, but I may as well let you have a look (note: pictures have been lightened; the originals were too dark to see well because of the storm):
Dolley Madison's grave
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The obelisk design and the simple inscription on Dolley’s marker remind me of Thomas Jefferson’s grave. If you have a chance, you should visit Monticello.
Those are beautiful! Visiting modern cemeteries is so very different. Rick and I were treated to a sales lady at one cemetery pointing out to us their “Garden of Religion.” We affixed polite albeit disturbed smiles on our faces at the name. Then she proudly showed us a giant granite monument, perhaps 12 x 20 feet, of the Ten Commandments overlooking that garden. All I could think of was a giant monument to all my failures greeting my loved ones who would visit my grave. We passed on the opportunity
My favorite cemetery is Woodlawn in New York City. It is so very beautiful and has a mix of rich and famous throughout.
I entirely agree – too many Lutheran’s have given up on the resurrection of the body. It irritates me every time I am at a funeral home for a wake and find that there is just a bunch of trivial talk about how much better off the person is now! No they aren’t better off – their DEAD!!!! They will be better off though – On the Last Day when Christ raises them from the dead to eternal life – body and soul!!!
What is even more irritating than these comments are the similar trivial comments from pastors in their funeral sermons. When I go to a funeral – I want to hear about the Resurrection – not how we will miss grandma’s bread rolls!
Your post is refreshing! I like your proposal for the inscription on your tomb stone – I might just have to copy your idea!
Actually, Pastor, you can design your own grave marker if you really want to. It’s probably easier these days now that they’re mostly flat. Eric and I are doing this for Christian. You just have to have a lot of persistence and patience and find the right people to work with.
Eric: We were at Monticello last autumn – it was there that I learned about Montpelier. I’m not sure I would have learned about it otherwise; it’s underrated, I think.
Kristina: I think that is wonderful – and if anyone would figure out how to do it, it would be you. Would you consider writing up who you worked with and the process you went through? That would be a great thing to put in the church newsletter, turn into a brochure, and have something to hand grieving people before they go the cookie-cutter route because it’s “simple.” I wonder – could a person plan his stone out before death? That way I could make sure ours are done right