LightGrams
September 25, 2025
Volume 29, Number 31
A recent story carried by the Associated Press told of a carpentry shop in Ghana where one can purchase a fantasy coffin. A what?! These are colorful coffins made in different shapes and styles to capture the essence of the deceased loved one. A fisherman might be buried in a coffin that looks like a brightly colored fish. A coffin in the shape of a lion is reserved for tribal chiefs. There were several different styles featured in the story.
At first the idea sounded a bit bizarre to me, but then I remembered something similar that happened in the United States in 1989. That was the year when Aurora Schuck of Lawrenceburg, IN died of cancer. One thing Aurora loved to do was drive her red Cadillac convertible; she drove it with the top down as often as possible. When she realized her death was near, she asked her husband to bury her in her red Cadillac, a wish he fulfilled as requested. That was Aurora’s fantasy.
All of this has me thinking, What would be my fantasy coffin? Given my years of preaching, would it be a coffin in the shape of a Bible? Maybe a pulpit? A church building, perhaps?
God’s word, however, brings me back to reality. In this Book we are instructed in what really matters, and the container in which we are laid to rest isn’t really the issue. It’s how we use our bodies and our gifts while we live. As 1 Timothy 6:7 teaches, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”
Though we don’t like to think about our mortality, we occasionally should. Ecclesiastes 12:6,7 is an example: “Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” There’s beautiful imagery in verse 6: silver cords, golden bowls, etc. But in the end these mortal bodies return to dust and “the spirit” – the essence of who we really are – returns to God.
That should be the constant focus of our lives. One day we will return to God. God will not be impressed if we are buried in a Cadillac or in some sort of fantasy coffin. So, will anything impress God? Listen Ecclesiastes 12 once more: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14).
The AP article commented on the reason for fantasy coffins: “… the presence of a fantasy coffin transforms everything. Mourners burdened with grief find themselves captivated by the craftsmanship, the vivid colours, the detailed shapes, the boundless imagination.” But let’s not miss one of the chief values of a funeral – the reminder that we all are headed in this direction. While we live and have opportunities, let us remember our Creator. The coffin doesn’t matter.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2025, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
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