When Days Are Done

All Ordinary lives end in death. That fact should not surprise you. Nevertheless, the statement, while true, is difficult to accept.

In 1927, soon after the unexpected death of his wife, A.J. Gossip preached a sermon to his church in Aberdeen, Scotland. He boldly stated . . .

"But there is one thing I should like to say which I have never dared to say before, not feeling that I had the right. We Christian people in the mass are entirely unchristian in our thoughts of death. We have our eyes wrongly focused. We are selfish, and self-centered, and self-absorbed. We keep thinking aggrievedly of what it means to us. And that is wrong, all wrong. In the New Testament you hear very little of the families with that aching gap, huddled together in their desolate little home in some back street; but a great deal about the saints in glory, and the sunshine, and the singing, and the splendour yonder. And, surely, that is where our thoughts should dwell."

The mishandling of death is evident. We use alternative words such as "passed" or "is no longer with us." Death is just difficult to say. It need not be - not for Christians at least.

Here's a bit of what Paul had to say about death.

Romans 14:8 (NIV)
If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

I enjoy life. I enjoy life with my wife, my children, my church family, and my friends. I have no death wish. However, I fear not death nor its coming. A few years ago, I heard Green River Ordinance's song, "When My Days Are Done" for the first time. The mentions of growing "old with my best friend," "beauty of my son's first steps," and "little girls smiling back at me" made me smile as my mind went down the proverbial lane. Then came the chorus . . .

When my time comes
When all my days are done
Friend, don't you cry for me
Oh my body might be broken in the ground
Oh, my soul, it will be free
My soul, it will be free.

Fueled with memories and inspiration, I told my wife that I knew that I wanted my Celebration of Life service (a more easily received name for Funeral - see previous Gossip quote) to be just that - a Celebration. Not a celebration with dancing on my grave mind you, but a true celebration of life and more than that - a celebration of the Giver of life.

If you had access to my wife's phone, you could go to her Notes App and you would find a rough draft of the Order of Service for that Celebration. Sure, I hope they say a few nice things about me. But those words need to take a back seat to the worship of God.

I do not know when my days will be done. No matter the number of days left, I will die sooner or later. And, thanks to the comforting words of God in Scripture, I do not fear that day because "whether [I] live or die, [I] belong to the Lord" and "surely, that is where [my] thoughts should dwell."

#ordinarylives

Reference:
Gossip, Arthur John. "But When Life Tumbles In, What Then?" A Seattle Contemplative, Oct. 20  2017, a-seattle-contemplative.blogspot.com/2017/10/but-when-life-tumbles-in-what-then.html (March 8 2022).

---