ARTICLE: EVEN IN DEATH, HIS LOVE PREVAILS

Anchor Passage:

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." 

                                                                                - John. 11:17-27

Most of us have experienced the death of a loved one. I remember the story of Anna who told me of family friend that died a few years back.

According to her, the death was one that marked the beginning of a mile stone in her life as it eventually led her to Christ.

In the words of Anna;

"Uncle Patrick was only in his 40's, a tough looking, bearded guy with a jolly sense of humor. I remember the day he called my mom, a seasoned nurse, with some unusual symptoms. My stomach felt uneasy as I overheard my mother tell Patrick he needed medical attention as soon as possible.

My sisters and I would only seePatrick a couple more times after that call. Once, just before he was admitted for a bone marrow transplant to treat the rare disease attacking his body. He was wearing his regular clothes and looked like the Patrick we always knew.

The second time was in the hospital after his transplant. He looked weak and bald, and that scared me a bit. It was the day before my convocation and mom urged me and my twin sister to tell him about our beautiful convocation dresses. Patrick listened to our descriptions as if our dresses were the most important topic in the world. A few weeks later, I got a phone call from my mom telling me Patrick had passed away.

One of the saddest aspects of Patrick's untimely death was that he never fulfilled his long-held dream to marry and have children of his own. That stuck with me. But another thing that stuck with me was Patrick's memorial service. I was not a Christian, and to my surprise, Patrick's funeral was filled with one story after another describing his devotion to Christ and his lengthy trips into the mission fields. Patrick's death played an instrumental role in bringing me to faith in Christ a few years later.

I know many of you have similar stories. Life was going along swimmingly, and suddenly the phone rang and nothing was ever the same. I also know many of you have encouraging stories of how God worked through the death of someone in a special way.

Some of the most encouraging reflections are found in the book by former hospice nurse, Trudy Harris, titled Glimpses of Heaven (Revell, 2008). Harris collected stories of her dying patients to offer comfort to those who have experienced loss, and also to share the profound spiritual insights she has gleaned from those getting ready to pass into heaven. Having observed God's tender care for her patients time and again, Harris says, "Those who have allowed themselves the luxury of being present with patients as they are dying come away realizing in a whole new way that there is only one Divine Physician, and it is He alone who sets the timetables of our lives."

      While death is always a tragedy, Harris confirms what the Christian faith teaches – that even death has merit when doused with God's grace. Harris writes that many of her patients could sense – even see -- God's presence in ways most of us can't right now. She notes her patients, who endured painful illness, were anxious to give hope, comfort, and wisdom to the living before they passed on. Some even died with so much grace, they wore a gentle smile.

       Of course, we can look to our Savior, who did not avoid death even when He could have, to see two truths: God works through the dying process to draw each of us closer to Him, and death – no matter how horrible - does not have the final word.

While it can be difficult for those of us here to bear the weight of losing a loved one, like Martha in our Anchor passage, we can find peace in knowing God does not abandon us or our loved ones even in the darkest moments of death. And while we don't yet have the privilege of seeing God in all His glory, we can faithfully entrust our futures and the futures of our loved ones' to the merciful love of Christ.

And just in case you don't have a relationship with God, click  HERE to begin.