Surrounded by Death

Wow, what an amazing couple of weeks. My step mother died two weeks ago. My uncle was rushed to hospital intensive care earlier this week. A friend's father passed away yesterday. The Apostle Paul told us that we are "Constantly surrounded by death."

Death at any time is rough on the survivors. But death before Easter helps us remember that Jesus died so that we might live. The gift Jesus gave us was the gift of hope and confidence in life after death in the presence of God.

There is a total difference between the funerals of those who have placed their lives in the hands of the resurrected Jesus and those who refuse to believe. The funerals of believers are filled with hope amidst the grief. The funerals of those rejecting Jesus are filled with grief that cannot be assuaged.

Before I became a Christian I was terrified of death. I had a few childhood experiences that left me paralyzed at the thought of going to a funeral. When I finally understood the Good News of Jesus Christ, my view of death was transformed. I now embrace the death of believers as one of God's greatest gift of grace. In death we are released from the pain sorrow and suffering of this life. The Easter message is a message of hope for the darkest times in our lives.

I love life. Christ allows me to do that. We have recently placed my mother in the care of a local Hospice organization. She is near the end of a long battle with COPD. She has longed to die for more than a year. She has treasured her life. She has treasured her family. She has treasured the friends she met along the way. Yet she treasures the coming of the fulfillment of the promises of God through our Savior Jesus Christ.

May you live in the promises of Christ,
Marty