Death

I know, you can't put death in a brown paper bag, but the girl with the bag was missing today, and I got called to a Hospice Care Center very early Sunday morning. Death is the only thing that everyone will face in life. And the month of January is a time when death is on the front of my mind.

One week from tomorrow marks the 5 year anniversary of the death of a dear friend of mine. And this morning a man from the church went to be with God. January will be the month of the first funeral I perform. Death has been on my mind a lot.

Yesterday morning as I sat with the family at his bedside, I watched him breath. It's a strange feeling that I don't know how to describe, watching someone literally fight to take each breath, struggling to do something that we do without thinking. But at the same time knowing that it is only temporary, that soon he would be breathing in the clean, perfect air of Heaven. That his body would be new, and his lungs strong again.

This morning he entered the very presence of Christ. I know that he heard Him say "Well done, good and faithful servant." I know that he received the crown of righteousness Paul talks about in 2 Timothy. And that also gives me feelings I don't know how to describe. Knowing that a man you have prayed with and ministered to, is now with Christ gives me chills.

Honestly, I want to be there too. My heart longs for Heaven, it longs to behold my Lord and Savior, to be in the presence of the God who spoke the universe into existence. But even as I write I am reminded of Paul's words in Philippians 1, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again" (vs 21-26).

My time is not yet here to depart and be with Christ; I must remain on for the fruitful labor. But I look forward to that time because I know that Christ waits to welcome me into Heaven. I know that one day I will see His face and hear Him say, "Well done." Many of you have the same anticipation, the same longing, and the same confident hope that I have. But some may not. To some death is frightening thing. It doesn't need to be. Jesus Christ died on the cross to give us freedom for the fear of death. He rose from the dead, conquering the grave along with sin and hell. He offers us forgiveness and eternal life.

Because of Jesus there is no need to fear death. We can look at it with confident hope, as the final doorway to the presence of God, knowing that when we pass through it, we will behold the face of Christ. This confidence can be yours with a simple prayer.

Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned and deserve death. But I know that you love me, and came to die for me. I know that you rose again defeating sin, death and hell to give me salvation. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Come and rule my life. Jesus thank you for forgiving me, and strengthen me to live for you. I love you my Savior and Lord. Amen.

If you have prayed that prayer and meant it I can tell you that you have been forgiven. Jesus has forgiven you, and now you can share in the hope and confidence that you will see Him when you come to death. But this is just the beginning of the journey. You need to find a church that preaches the Bible. Get involved and begin to learn more about what it means to have Jesus as your Lord. Begin reading the Bible. Find a translation that makes sense to you. I recommend you start in the New Testament with the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, tell the story of Jesus' life here on earth. Finally, get baptised. Too often in our culture today we overlook this. Baptism is an outward declaration of the commitment you have made in your heart. It is an important step because there are witnesses to it, friends that will walk with us and support us. It also gives us a strong memory that our commitment to Christ is real, that we publicly declare it to the world.

Death is something we all will face, but with the forgiveness of Christ, we can face it with confidence and hope.

Peace be with you