Friday’s thoughts
I’ve been thinking about death this week and the consequences of that kind of thinking seems to move off in one of two directions. It could lead to a morbit line of reasoning. Reflecting upon the fact that we will die and that we may die tomorrow could become a real negative factor in our thinking. That has not been the case.
In the 7th Chapter of Luke Jesus is in the town of Nain. Here is the text:
“As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
This text has many possible interpretations. I like the one that suggests that Jesus had a way of awakening the dead from their sleep. The idea of suggesting to us, “arise” from our death to life seems to me a strong imperative. We are to live. The Christian faith makes us aware of our death, but it awakens us, in our dying, to becoming fully alive.
The consquence of this is two-fold:
1. Let us find the passion to the point that, although we may be dying (none of us will get out of this world alive), we are dying to live. We have passion for life and can see the forest for the trees.
2. Let us discover the sensitivity that enables us to live until we die as we discover the trees in the forest.
3. We worship the God of life who made both the forest and the trees.
The realization that we could die tomorrow brings a zest for living today. This realization is not a morbid thought but a perspective that lifts life up and invites us into a full participation.
Can you make this affirmation, “It’s a great day to be alive”. If so, in what way is it? I’d like to hear from you. Why is it a great day to be alive and what difference does it make if we know we will die tomorrow (some tomorrow we will die)? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to let others read your response click on the “comments” box below.
Charles
