O Death!
Pastors and churches are busy
preparing for their church conferences at this time of the year. Part of the
preparation is to go over and update the church membership. Seven church
members passed on to glory since last year’s church conference. The names are: Cathy
Bither, Ethel Brushett, Edwin Clark, Helen Cleary, Gladys Henderson, Dolores
Jackins, and Kaye Trickey. These are the sisters and brothers whom we deeply
loved and cared for in Christ. As we remember each of them, we are all becoming
increasingly aware of our own mortality.
In our everyday life the signs of dying,
the signs of aging are undeniable.
Now I want you to complete the following sentence with your own words: Gone are the days when ____________________.
Perhaps your responses are something like:
Gone are the days when I held my loved one’s hand and we
laughed together.
Gone are the days when I quickly drifted off to sleep and
slept through the night.
Gone are the days when I drove to special events after dark.
Gone are the days when I felt like I had a reason to get up in
the morning.
Many of us in this room struggle with our feelings of loss in late life – the loss of the loved ones, the loss of good health, the loss of brain function, the loss of independence. We grieve. We lament. We question. “O God, what is my purpose of life in old age?” “What can I contribute at this stage of my life?” “Where do I find hope?”
Acknowledging Death
Today’s scripture tells us that the
first step to moving forward in hope is to acknowledge
death –
the hard realities of aging and
dying. About four years ago I offered a one-day seminar on death. But the
response rate was pretty low. One church member even said to me, “I don’t
understand why you want to do this. I don’t want to talk about death.” But the
Bible teaches us to face death, acknowledge death instead of denying it. Paul
said, “I die every day.” (v. 31) David said to Jonathan, “There is but a step
between me and death!” (1 Sam 20:3) Probably, we may not be in that much desperate
situation. But still, we must be keenly aware that we too are only a step away
from death. We are to live with the end in mind.
Candy Chang now became a well-known artist who started a “Before I die” movement. In 2009 she lost someone she loved very much. Since then, she thought about death a lot, and this made her feel deep gratitude for the time she had and brought clarity to the things that really matter. She wanted to do something. Chang got a permission from the town and her neighbors. She covered one side of the house with chalkboard paint. Then, she stenciled a few words on the wall about 80 times, reading, “Before I die, I want to _____________.” People responded. They wrote on the wall:
· Before I die, I want to straddle the International Date Line.
· Before I die, I want to sing for millions.
· Before I die, I want to plant a tree.
· Before I die, I want to hold her one more time.
· Before I die, I want to be completely myself.
Today there are more than 5,000 “Before I die…” walls in cities all over the world. When people were asked about their death, they began to talk about life – real life, exciting things they would like to do with their lives. They focused on things of life that really matter. Candy Chang said, "Contemplating death really clarifies my life and regularly contemplating death has been a really powerful tool for me to restore perspective and remember the things that make my life meaningful to me." Contemplating death can lead to life.
But God
But contemplating death is just the
beginning. If acknowledging the hard realities of aging and dying is the first
step to life and hope, the next step is to acknowledge and stand on the greater
reality, that is the promises of God. If we read the scriptures carefully, we can
often find these great two words: but God.
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and
my portion forever.” (Ps 73:26)
“We were dead in our sins… But God, who is rich in mercy… made us
alive together with Christ.” (Eph 2:1, 4)
“Our bodies are wasting away, but God is making our spirits renewed
every day.” (2 Cor 4:16)
“The sting of death is sin and the
power of sin is the law. But God gives us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 15:56-57)
But God. These two words change everything. These two words make a way in the wilderness of life. These two words bring hope from despair. These two words bring life from death. So hold fast to the greater reality, the promises of God.
Speak!
Sometimes we may feel like we are
in the valley of dry bones. We may feel like we have outlived our purpose. We
may feel like we want to hide out in our room. We may feel incapable of
learning new things. We may feel we are too old to make changes. If you feel
that way, I want you to hear God’s promises for dry bones in the death valley.
One day the prophet Ezekiel was carried away by the Spirit of God to a valley filled with bones. There were bones all over the plain – a lot of dry bones. Then the Lord said to him, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered, “O Lord, you alone know.” Then the Lord said, “Speak to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!” So he spoke this message. Suddenly as he spoke, there was a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. Muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies. But they still had no breath in them. Then the Lord said to him, “Speak to the breath.” So he said just as the Lord told him, “Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again!” As he spoke, breath came into their bodies. They came to life and stood up on their feet – a great army. (Ezekiel 37:1-10)
In this story we learn that hope is not passive. In the valley of dry bones Ezekiel was called to do two things – to speak to dry bones (our souls), and to speak to the Spirit (breath prayer). First, we are to speak to our self instead of listening. When we wake up in the morning and throughout the day, our self is constantly talking to us – mainly negative messages. As we are listening to our self, we become critical and impatient with others. We complain about the changes in our life. We spend time feeling sorry for ourselves. We are consumed with the “what ifs” in our future. We are filled with guilt, shame or remorse about the past. And we become like dead, dry bones. Just then Ezekiel is called to speak to dry bones. Just then the psalmist stands up and says to himself, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Ps 42:11) We too are to speak God’s promises to our souls. Secondly, we are to speak to the Spirit, that is to pray without ceasing. Breath prayer. Every time we feel down and depressed, we can speak to the Spirit something like this:
·
Come, Holy
Spirit, be with me in this valley of dry bones.
·
Come, Holy
Spirit, breathe new life into this worn-out body.
·
Come, Holy
Spirit, fill me with renewed purpose and strength to serve others.
When you feel like you are stuck in the valley, speak to your souls and speak to God. Rise up and live!
Finishing Well
Death is real. Death is a part of
life. But death is not a natural part
of life. It’s not supposed to be this way. Death is the last enemy to be
destroyed. (1 Cor 15:26) Our Lord Jesus Christ conquered death and became the
firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. So the day will come when death
has been swallowed up in victory. (v. 54) The day will come when death will be
no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more. (Rev 21:4) But in the
meantime God has given us purpose until our final breath. God has already given
us the final victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be faithful, always
standing on the promises of God. Let us be all in for the Lord, because we know
that only what’s done for Christ will last.
Let me close with Miss Buchanan’s prayer, “Finishing Well”[2]:
I don’t worry
about death; I worry about how I will die.
Will I linger in a state of frailty? Will I be in a sterile hospital room,
surrounded by beeping machines? Will I die at home in my sleep, as I hope?
O Lord, at my age,
thoughts of death and dying are never far away. The signs of aging are
undeniable. There are changes I cannot reverse. Here in the wilderness, the finish line is obscured by the dust
and decay around me.
How long, O Lord?
Send your Spirit! Bring life and energy to these dry bones. Open my eyes to a
clear purpose that will propel me forward on this journey of aging. Empower me
to live fully when I am tempted to hide in my room.
O God, you have
given me a divine assignment: to grow in
relationship with you, to serve others in humility, and to glorify you with
every breath. I have a unique story to share. These late years are a holy
privilege to become the elder you want me to be. On this homeward journey,
stretch my faith beyond my imagination. Refocus my mind on gratitude and praise. You
have given me a mission to complete. Help me to live by faith so I can live in
hope. Set my feet on the final path to glory. The way of the cross will lead me
home. Amen.
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