Object Lessons in Mortuary Science

It really is startling how many illustrations and spiritual parallels one can find with the things of God and mortuary science and thanatochemistry. God has often given me the most wonderful revelations on scripture while embalming. My profession certainly affords me a wholly unique slant on certain aspects of God's school.

For instance, as embalmers, we look for good fluid distribution and diffusion as we replace the blood from the vascular system with a chemical that acts as a preservative to the tissue. A good embalmer can instantly tell which appendages are getting fluid and which are not. If the right leg, for example, is not getting fluid or draining properly, it is probably due to a block somewhere in the illiac region or above. We'll know because the area in question begins to look differently from the rest of the body and the texture of the skin is different. Something - most likely a blood clot - is impeding the rate of flow. The embalmer's job is now to discover where the blockage is occuring, raise the artery past the block, and continue injecting from that point on to ameliorate any swelling.

I've found in my own walk with Christ Jesus, certain blocks in my spirit that have come about from failing to mortify flesh. Unmortified flesh resists the spirit and causes the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to come to a temporary standstill until we discover and remove the block. Once the block is removed, the Spirit, like the embalming fluid, can continue through the vessel on its path of preservation.

Formaldehyde solutions sometimes contain hydrating agents called humectants which act in restoring fluid to emaciated tissue for the purpose of rendering a healthy appearance to the deceased. Some humectants come with a built-in dye to restore a pinkish color to the skin as they replenish. Here I think of the dye of the restorative power of Christ's blood working in conjunction with the Spirit's grace which flows like a river to spiritually hydrate the child of God.

In addition, we'll sometimes use another chemical, called an arterial modifier, to reduce blood viscosity and dissolve clots. Modifiers aid in draining interstitial fluid and congealed blood from the veins. A modifier has no preserving quality of its own; it only facilitates the movement of blood. Similiarly, I see prayer and Bible study as spiritual modifiers: vehicles by which the Spirit of Preservation and Restoration can operate and move most freely.

These are but a few of the many illustrations to be found within the parameters of mortuary science.