Nobody (at least, nobody I know!) is eager to die! When a person gives up on life and sets about seeking a way to end his life, we know their state is abnormal, a illness of mind and/or spirit that demands an emergency intervention until they find a reason to live again. But, Christians, while loving life, cannot deny their mortality. Preparing to die does not make one faithless or suicidal nor does it necessarily mean we must be morbid or mournful! Why? Because we are not "like the rest of men, who have no hope." (1 Thessalonians 4:13, NIV)
Being confronted on a regular basis with our mortality will cause us to live well which prepares to die well. Robb Moll argues a compelling case in an article appearing in Christianity Today, (6/2010). He says, “The church is a community that teaches people how to live well by teaching them how to measure their days. Put another way, when the Church incarnates a culture of resurrection – one that recognizes the inevitability of death but not its triumph – it teaches people how to die well.” He challenges the prevailing church model that separates people by age, keeping the ‘old people’ who are nearer death segregated from the younger.
Funerals can be very instructive! The vapidity of the life of that person who passed his time on earth superficially, selfishly, or without godly purpose comes into sharp focus at his funeral when mourners struggle to find a meaningful tribute. More positively, as we stand and stare at grandfather’s corpse, there remembering his patience, prayers, or perseverance, which grew from his faith in Christ Jesus; it should stir a desire to prepare for that moment when others will gaze into our coffin.
The Bible tells us that Death is a defeated enemy for us when are lives are hidden in Christ. At the close of a chapter in which he earnestly makes a case for the Resurrection of Christ and our own hope of Resurrection, Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15 rise to a crescendo of triumph. "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:54-58, NIV)
That is not a text about ‘pie in the sky, by and by!’ It is not ethereal musing without practical application. Paul says that the promise of Resurrection is a powerful incentive right now to choose the best life. We will be holy, faithful lives servants of the Lord and others if we know that this day could be our last opportunity before we sleep in death. Resurrection connects ‘now’ to ‘forever.’ On this earth, our achievements will be eclipsed by those of another, probably even before we die. We all have experienced the disappointment of having our best efforts unnoticed by busy people who take us for granted. But, if we live with the promise of the Resurrection, assured that we are already immortal, simply awaiting the moment of our transformation, we also know that what is done now, is not lost nor forgotten by the One who hands out the rewards that matter most. What a reason to remain faithful to the highest calling.
If we live in a culture that is formed from the hope of our Resurrection, we will be able to face death with the same sense of expectation that Paul wrote of as he was just days from his own execution in Rome. From the Mamertine Prison, where he was held for execution, considered a traitor to Rome because of his unwavering allegiance to Jesus Christ; he wrote to Timothy, these words which I hope will be read over my own still body someday. Take this word from the Word and ponder it today: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8, NIV)
______________
I then shall live as one who's been forgiven.
I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father.
I am His child and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned I'll forgive my brother.
The law of love I gladly will obey.
I then shall live as one who's learned compassion.
I've been so loved that I'll risk loving, too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges.
I dare to see another's point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then I'll be there to care and follow through.
Your kingdom come around and through and in me.
Your pow'r and glory, let them shine through me.
Your Hallowed Name, O may I bear with honor,
And may Your living kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world through me.
Amen.
I Then Shall Live
Gaither, Gloria / Sibelius, Jean
© 1981 William J. Gaither, Inc. ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management
CCLI License No. 810055
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