WATCHWORD:
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So, when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9
Meditation:
How to Die
The pastor tells of his experience early in his ministry, of being summoned to the hospital emergency room: one of his parishioners had been in a horrible accident and was near death. As he waited outside the exam room for the doctor, he could hear her screaming in pain, “I don’t want to die!”, repeated over and over again. The screaming continued, as the pastor, not knowing what else he could do, was deep in prayer that the Lord will take away her pain.
After a time, the doctor emerged, walked up to the minister and said, “For God’s sake, Pastor, teach your people how to die.”
The pastor continued, saying that from that moment on, his ministry was changed. He focused on the reality that death is part of life and that we need to be prepared, not only for living Christian lives, but also for the conviction of life beyond dying based on our faith. A strong, unwavering faith in the promises of Jesus the Christ.
Forty some years ago, I read Joyce Landorf’s book, “Mourning Song”. It reads like a spiritual journal, beginning when she first learned of her mother’s terminal illness, all the way to her mother’s passing, and how her mother’s life shaped her own life. A passage from that book has stuck with me:
Joyce writes: “A few weeks before she died, my mother pointed her finger at me and said these words, ‘Honey, for thirty-four years I’ve taught you how a Christian should live. Now I’m going to show you how one dies.’
How one dies is a personal thing, but it carries enormous power for the loved ones who care. There is a world of difference between those who die knowing Jesus as Lord, and what He has promised for those who followed Him, and those who, for whatever reason, have turned their back on God.
My personal experience with my wife, as well as the experience of five of my closest friends, all who have lived through the extended illness of our loved ones, loved ones who vividly showed us how a believer in Christ dies. The final weeks, days of each one were filled with a welcoming joy and a demonstrated faith in Christ, showing us clearly, how one dies, confidently, with faith and belief. It was caregiving in reverse.
As I read 1 Peter, I am struck by this passage: So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. This passage is so descriptive of the faith shown by our loved ones, who are waiting in the ‘next room’. We saw their joy. We saw how they reached out to reassure us that all is well, and we are comforted. And, so it is. Amen, and amen.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more. We glide along the tides of time as swiftly as a racing river, and vanish as quickly as a dream. We are like grass that is green and in the morning but mowed down and withers before the evening shadows fall. 70 years are given us, and some may even live to 80 or 90. But even the best of these years are often emptiness and pain; soon they disappear, and we are gone. Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should. (Psalms 39:4; 90:5-6,10,12)
