Are there certain foods you taste, or songs you hear, or smells you smell that instantly take you back to an earlier time and place? You know those small aerosol cans of deodorant/body spray that you can buy in stores? You can get them here in Papua New Guinea as well. They smell really good, but the smells associated with them here in the village is that of a decaying corpse.
A few days ago, I was in the village because of the death of a 29 year old woman. She had died early that morning and everything was in process for the preparation of her funeral. A coffin was being made, woman were weeping, pigs were being captured. She was to buried the next day, but in this hot and humid tropical environment decay starts very quickly. To mask the pungent smells, one of the essential items for any funeral is aerosol cans of body spray. Many will be used over the course of a 24 hour period and often the odors emanating from the deceased are pleasant rather than repulsive.
Though the smells of this death were much like any of the other dozens I have been to here in the village over the last 10 years, this funeral was much different. We have had Patpatar Christians die, but the funerals here in the village have never been led by a Christian who presented the truth of God’s Word. The message has always been a mix of beliefs, traditions, quotes, and assurances of a good afterlife no matter who had died.
But this time, for 40 minutes a clear Gospel message was presented by the brother of the woman who had died. He was given the opportunity to lead his sister’s funeral and jumped at the opportunity to tell others the truth about the way to heaven. He didn’t mask the message or mix the message. I sat and praised God silently as he stood strong on God’s Word and pleaded for other’s to listen and understand.
In the days to follow several people have been going to talk to him. “I have never heard that kind of talk before.” “Could you explain to me again what you were saying.” “Your talk did not have confusion like the talk we usually hear.” “I want to ask you some questions about ‘the way’.” These are some of the comments that have started some good conversations.
You see for a believer in Christ, death is not a dreaded end, not a confusing passage, but rather a sweet smelling victory to be savored for eternity. “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?…But thanks be to God! He give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
Pray with us as the message continues to go out. Pray that many others would be able to know the sweet smell of death…not from an aerosol can, but from victory through Jesus.
Aaron