Our Treasure

According to this report at BBC News, these are the top 10 funeral songs.

1 - "Goodbye My Lover" - James Blunt
2 - "Angels" - Robbie Williams
3 - "I've Had The Time Of My Life" - Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley
4 - "Wind Beneath My Wings" - Bette Midler
5 - "Pie Jesu" - Requiem
6 - "Candle In The Wind" - Elton John
7 - "With Or Without You" - U2
8 - "Tears In Heaven" - Eric Clapton
9 - "Every Breath You Take - The Police
10 -"Unchained Melody" - Righteous Brothers

Why do I bring this up? Because I've been thinking of this myself. A funeral song, if you get to pick it yourself, is the last real comment you get to leave on your life, you experience, and everything in between. As a moody teenager, I used to think I wanted my song to be "Warm Tape" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I got a little older and then decided I wanted "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" by Creedance Clearwater Revival. I still think they're great songs and have a cool feel for a funeral song. But now I think I need a better song to define my departure.

See, being a Christian, my last song should not be one of sorrow or regret. It should not be a song about not wanting to leave or not doing enough. It should be a song of rejoicing and acceptance. This world is temporary and death is the transition from this world to the real one. To think that when you close your eyes for the last time it's not for the last time, that's something to be thankful for.

As Christians, what should our song be? Far be it from me to ever tell anyone what the answer is. However, I do have three I would like to comment on. These songs I think represent a Christian's point of view on death and rebirth.

All My Tears by Jars of Clay

A cover off of their latest album "Good Monsters". The first verse goes as such;

"When I go don't cry for me
In my fathers arms Ill be.
The wounds this world left on my soul
Will all be healed and Ill be whole."

Right here I knew this would be a great song to have played at my departure. Sometimes death can have such a crippling effect on us. We weep for those who have died and the fact that we will not see them in this life anymore. But, we can't forget that death leads to the ultimate reward. We will be in our heavenly father's arms and everything this would has ever done to us will be washed away. Any self-confidence issues this would has caused me, any heartache that we have felt, it will all be gone. We will be our true selves at last and finally have the relationship with God we desperately crave.
The rest of the song is a great reminder of what being with God will be like. It's just a great reminder of our true hope as Christians.

Treasure by Tree 63
I heard this song when I bought their greatest hits album. I was instantly drawn to this song. It has a great upbeat sound and you can tell this band truly loves the world. Here's the first verse of the song;

"Taken up out of the world
Shaken up with just a word,
Turned around so suddenly
I'm alive eternally."

As Christians, we should always remember that we are already taken from this world. We died to sin and this world when we accepted Christ into our lives. Romans 6:4 reads;

"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."(NASB)

We are now alive eternally. At this very moment! Think about what that means! If you have accepted Christ into your life, you now are everlasting. You will never die and you will never stop. Christ has saved us so completely, nothing can separate us from His love.
The song chorus is simple yet so great to stop and think about.

"My heart is where my treasure lies

My great reward is in Your eyes,
My every breath belongs to You
You are my treasure."

Where is your heart? If you have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, then you heart is now with God. Your treasure is now in the kingdom, waiting for you. Those that leave this world finally receive their great reward and that is not a thing to mourn for.

Pierced by Audio Adrenaline

From Audio Adrenaline's "Worldwide" album. This song is great gospel/worship chorus and I can't understand why it has yet to make into my churches service. The chorus goes like this;

"Make me, take me, break me, I am pierced.
Make me, take me, break me, I am pierced."

Simple, no? What else does this chorus need to say to get its message across. Part of the sanctification process is allowing God to carry you where He desires you to be, even death. Christ made us, took us from death, and we should trust Him when He needs to break us. We are already pierced through our new birth in our Lord. When you final day comes, will you be ready for Christ to take you?

I understand that death will always be a sorrowful event. That's the curse of living in this fallen world. Those we care for and love will leave this world, sometimes sooner than we expect. But we should always remind ourselves that when Christ's kingdom comes, we will never have to experience death again.
We should face death with fear and trembling, we should always be ready for our Lord to come and takes us. After all, that's are ultimate goal. We leave this world of death for a kingdom of life. I just hope what ever song is played at my funeral represents the truth I know.