Thoughts upon death
Our community has recently experienced a tragedy. Three high school seniors, foot ball players and very popular boys, died when their boat capsized in frigid waters. One of the boys’ bodies has been recovered and the other two are still missing almost two weeks later. This even has rocked this town and found everyone asking why.
Whenever a young person dies the response is usually similar: the death is seen as unnatural because it happened too soon. The boys did not have the opportunity to grow, have families of their own, and do all the things everyone else gets to do in life. They were robbed of their futures and it does not make sense.
Implicit in this is the idea that when an old person dies it is a part of the natural order of things and acceptable.
I cannot agree with that idea. Death is never ok. It is not a part of the natural order of things. Even when senior citizens die it is robbing them of something. Think of those situations that are all to commonplace any more. An elderly person’s body is failing but her mind is whole and strong. She questions why this has happened and prays every day that God would take her and end the misery she is in. Or a person’s body is strong and healthy but his mind is gone due to Alzheimer’s and his loved ones question why this happens and pray every day that God would simply take him and end this dark and shadowy version of their father/grandfather/husband/brother. The aging process and the dying process are never normal, nor are they every natural.
We were created to be immortal. Death is not natural; it is the enemy. It can be a mercy and a release, but it is not natural. The good news of Christianity is that Jesus Christ defeated death. There is an ancient Easter hymn in the Church that says, “Jesus Christ is risen from the dead / trampling down death by death / and upon those in the grave / bestowing life.” This is the recreation of what is and the renewal of what was supposed to be in our lives. In Christ we become immortal once again and death has no power over us. This is because, when we convert, we join Jesus in his death. We die with him in order that he may raise us up to new life in him. We are done with death because we are united to the author of life.
Yes, we still suffer the effects of this fallen world in our bodies. We inherited that fallen condition. But it does not have the last word. When we are Christians, we have been reborn by water and the Spirit, and death no longer has any power or sway over us.
Would that we would believe this and act accordingly.
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