Ministry to the Dying

Bishop Eric Menees

Dear friends, I pray you all had a blessed Thanksgiving this last week! If you remember from before Thanksgiving, we had just finished looking at Communion of the Sick in the 2019 BCP’s Pastoral Rites section. Having begun with holy matrimony and continuing through family life with thanksgiving for the adoption of a child, reconciliation, and ministry to the sick, we now head towards the conclusion of life with Ministry to the Dying. This section bridges Ministry to the Sick and Burial of the Dead so there’s a continuity of the church’s ministry.

Ministry to the Dying begins with a section that frames what ministry to the dying is:

For Christians, death is a defeated enemy. In Christ, death has become the gateway to everlasting life. As St. Paul reminded the Church at Corinth:

‘Death is swallowed up in victory. 

O death, where is your victory? 

O death, where is your sting?’

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:54-57

Far too many people even inside the church misunderstand what death is and how it relates to us as Christians. Death is not good. Death came into the world as a result of the fall. For Christians, death is an enemy. But death isn’t something we need to fear because as this section says, “death is a defeated enemy.” As a seminary professor once said, “death is a foe doing the work of a friend.” Death is not good, but through Christ’s victory over death at the resurrection, death lost its sting. Death for Christians has become the gateway to everlasting life.

When a person is near death, the minister should be notified.

This rite is a customary part of the Church’s pastoral care.

This liturgy is intended to be prayed with one who has received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Officiant may appropriately inquire of the dying person as to his or her acceptance of the Christian faith. If the person has not been baptized, Emergency Baptism (page 173) should be administered before the use of this rite.

Because death is a gateway to everlasting life for Christians and not humanity as a whole, this rite is meant only for baptized and believing Christians. It would make no sense to tell someone dying about the promises God’s made to them if don’t believe and trust in those promises. If people aren’t baptized, they should be encouraged to be baptized and that can be done before receiving this ministry.

This took on a very personal tone for me when I was ministering to my uncle at his bedside when my brother and I led him in the sinner’s prayer for the acceptance of Christ. He had been baptized as a baby but had long since fallen away from the church. My family and I rejoiced in the reality that my uncle had admitted his sin, sought forgiveness from God, and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. 

I want to draw attention to the line, “When a person is near death, the minister should be notified.” This is true of ALL illness and hospitalization, but especially when someone is near death. I’ve known many priests who were devastated to find out about a parishioner’s death several days after the fact and have been unable to minister to them in their last moments. 

Lastly, please consider making end of life plans for yourself, not only financial and medical, but also if you want to be cremated or buried, what services you would like etc. Over 34 years of ministry I’ve witnessed so many family members forced to make decisions that could have easily been made prior. The best time to make these decisions is when you are healthy and clear minded. Please make sure your loved ones know who to contact at your church. For many people death is a time of great anxiety and fear, and it’s important to have a representative of the church there to speak the hope we have in Jesus Christ into that situation. 

I hope you all have a blessed Second Sunday of Advent!