I am around death more than your average 30-something. I'm a pastor (in case you hadn't figured that out by now). I visit people in the hospital and in nursing care. I sit with grieving families and officiate funerals.
Much of our Christian language is centered on death and resurrection, for example communion, discipleship, baptism, etc. For goodness sake, the very symbol of our faith - the cross - is an instrument of execution.
That doesn't mean that I am any less sad at a funeral, any less affected when a congregant looks me in the eye and speaks of approaching death. That certainly doesn't mean that I know what to say to a grieving friend.
What being around death as much as I am means is that I know what I believe, I know what I believe about death because I talk about it so much. So, I thought I would share some of my thoughts with you, loyal reader.
There are some deaths that are a kind of solace in themselves: if the person has been suffering from a long illness or has lived a long and happy life that has come to a peaceful end.
But there are many, many deaths that are shocking, awful, tragic, senseless and even devastating. You may know exactly what I am talking about. We cannot deny these tragedies. Those who are left behind after such events are completely torn apart with grief.
From my experience and my belief, there is some good news. The Good News is that God's redemption has overcome death. The reality that humans have feared, grieved and dreaded has lost its power over us. God chose to enter into our human lives and even experience a tragic and horrific death in order to show that death is not the end of the story, in order to break the power of death over our lives.
I'm not talking about fluffy clouds and harps here. I'm also not talking about obsessing over who "gets in."
What I'm talking about is telling a different story about ourselves, a true story about our lives and deaths. In this story, the goodness of God's redemption flows over our scarred and grieving selves and overcomes even the worst events in our lives. God takes us by the shoulders and turns us around to show us all that we haven't seen before - the complete 360 of God's amazing love for us.
This morning, my dear friend read these ancient words from Lamentations. May the solace he found in them be our solace as well.
Lamentations 3:22-24 (NRSV)
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
‘therefore I will hope in him.’