I was Closed-Up in a Coffin–and I Survived!

One of the greatest evenings of my life was the night of the Halloween Carnival 1967. I was a first grader at Como Pickton elementary school.

At the Halloween Carnival, the various classes were able to perform skits and songs. Our class, I thought, had the most original skit.

Someone arranged for the loan of a casket from the local funeral home. Our teachers asked for six boys to dress in Halloween costumes that looked like skeletons and climb into the coffin. I volunteered!

Shortly before we were to perform, we crawled inside the coffin and they closed the lid of the casket, placing a shoe at the spot where the lid met the rest of the casket. This allowed us to open up the casket on cue.

Someone wheeled us into the auditorium, which was full of people, and placed the casket at the very front. The lights were dimmed, then we opened the lid and sang the song, “I Ain't got Nobody.”

I thought that was one of funnest things I did in all of my childhood. I think it serves as a nice metaphor for what I expect for my future.

Before the carnival, I remember several people expressing fear at the thought of crawling inside a coffin and closing the lid. Yet I was totally unafraid; indeed, I looked forward to it. I felt like it would be a cool experience. And it was.

Likewise, today I hear a lot of people expressing fear at the thought of being placed inside a coffin. They are afraid of death.

I am not afraid of death. Because I believe there will be a good experience following death. I believe in a God that will one day raise me from the dead. Because of Jesus, I believe that I will someday be closed up in a coffin. But I will be released from that coffin and I will survive–for eternity.