Death with a Coffin Nearby

In the series of books that I am reading by Pearl S. Buck, a coffin is purchased and placed near a dying man’s bed to reassure him that all thing are prepared for his death (this happens more than once in the series):

"Beside his bed stood his coffin wish his sons had bought for him and placed there for his comfort” pg 7 Sons

I can’t imagine that my father would be too reassured if I did that. I think that he would think that I was pushing him toward death. In American culture, death has become a fearful part of life. I personally have always wondered why this is so. The Bible says:

John 5:24 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."

And

John 11:25-26 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: [26] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

Yet, death is still feared. Now I am not saying that we should rush toward death, but instead, we should accept it, perhaps even be honored to be invited into God’s plan.

When my mother passed away in 2001, my father and I planned her memorial service as a celebration of life as opposed to a somber gathering. This idea always befuddled me as a child. Why would you celebrate the loss of someone you love. Now as an adult I understand that we celebrate that the person has fulfilled God’s plan on earth and are now taken to heaven. If someone had explained this to me then, I may have better accepted the losses that I faced as a child.

Also, given that the death of our own physical form is just the shedding of a layer that allows us to enter the kingdom heaven, perhaps Pearl Buck and the early Chinese had the right idea, by leaving the casket nearby we can be reminded of the heavenly journey we are about to take. This will allow us to be less fearful and our loved ones to be less sad.