March 16 2023
March 16 2023
By

God doesn’t want us to “cloister” in a social bubble and mix only with each other:  Christians are charged to be witnesses (Acts 1:8) and love neighbor and even enemy (Matt. 5:44; 22:39), but we can’t do these things if we isolate ourselves from the world.

And yet, we are called to live in community with fellow believers in such a way that we care and support and serve one another in deep, beautiful ways (John 13:35).  Healthy church life means having rich relationships with fellow disciples of Jesus.

One of the fruits of a proper immersion in the church fellowship is bolstering a biblical view of death.  Drawing on Scripture, we internalize and depend on the fact that death is defeated and a glorious eternal life awaits us (Rom. 8:38-39; 1 Cor. 54-57).  This facet of a Bible-based frame of mind is foundational for God’s people, and it gives us ballast in the tossing seas of today.

I was reminded of this when I read “What to Read to Come to Terms with Death,” with book recommendations (The Atlantic, 2-21-2023).  The author, Eleanor Cummins, does not write from a religious perspective, and the books reviewed do not interact with the idea of God’s existence.  Her emphasis is that seven featured books “can help us accept our limitations and live full lives.”

Accepting death, acknowledging our frailty, embracing the truth of our mortality … this is how to cope with being human.  Some authors veer toward desolation, others favor comforting fictions.  But the recommended books are most helpful when honestly facing the facts:  “… accepting your fate is the closest a person can ever come to triumph in the unwinnable war against death.”

Brother or sister in Jesus, that is the cloud over the non-believer’s life; that is the gloom that gnaws at so many of our neighbors.  So we have good reason to:  1) thank God for free grace and eternal hope; and 2) pray for and reach out to lost souls on our path!


Comments:

Leave a Comment

Name*
Email Help Tip
Website
Comment*
Characters Remaining: 5000
   

Archives

May 06, 2024

Children's Ministry Update, May 5, 2024

Children's Ministry Update, May 5, 2024
The twelfth chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth is known for its role in encouraging the church body toward unity. Steering us away from division and partiality, this passage reminds ...
May 03, 2024

Will All Be Saved?

Will All Be Saved?
Universalism is the religious belief that all humans will, in the end, be saved.  According to this outlook, there is no eternal hell. Universalism appeals to many because it undercuts claims of ...
April 06, 2024

Children's Ministry Update, April 28, 2024

Children's Ministry Update, April 28, 2024
Acts 12 tells the story of God’s divine and miraculous rescue of His apostle Peter. While King Herod sought to make an example of Peter, it was God alone who was able to showcase His power and might ...
April 03, 2024

Let Us Sing

Let Us Sing
Our “Faith Journey” sermons brought us face to face with Job last week.  His story is breathtaking:  such vast wealth, and yet such great grief and pain!  God inspired the Book of Job to be a part ...
April , 2024

Children's Ministry Update, April 21, 2024

Children's Ministry Update, April 21, 2024
Acts 11 recounts the first time people were called “Christians” because they were recognized as followers of Jesus. In this passage, Peter was criticized by some of the believing Jews for going into ...