Preparing people to die

As we approach Good Friday, our thoughts are drawn to the suffering and death of our Lord. Many people want to rush right to the triumph of Easter, but if we brush past the occupied tomb to get to the empty tomb we miss what make the celebration of the Resurrection so joyful. We need to take time to meditate deeply on just what Jesus suffered to pay the price for our sins.

My favorite church service of the year is our Good Friday Tenebrae service. While it isn't one that most Baptists are familiar with, the focus on the words of Scripture and the visual aspects of the service create a moving and somber atmosphere that draws your attention to the cross. When you leave the church in darkness and silence, after a time of meditation on the suffering of Jesus, you are in a place from which the joy of Easter can truly flow. From dark and silent, the church on Easter Sunday will be full of light and joyous sound, reflecting the triumph of our Lord over sin and death.

I was listening to a podcast by Carl Trueman, professor of church history at Westminster Seminary, in which he stated that the role of the pastor is to prepare people to die. It's a provocative thought, but there is a lot of truth in it. Thinking about death runs counter to our culture, which is obsessed with staying alive (and preferably young). Yet we are all assured that one day, barring the return of Christ, we will all die. Are we ready for that to happen to us?

In His suffering and death, Jesus showed us how to be prepared to die. Jesus had a strong relationship with His Father, one that led Him to accept the Father's will above His own. He showed a human desire to avoid suffering and death if possible, yet faced His death with purpose. He went through physical, emotional and spiritual agony, yet in the end He knew triumph even in His pain. His sufferings were real (contrary to a variety of heretical teaching throughout history), but they did not break His confidence in His Father.

Before we can even begin to be prepared to die, we have to have a relationship with God. As sinners, we can't do that on our own, but Jesus made it possible for us to be right with God by taking our judgment on Himself. Through faith in Him, and by the grace of God, we can be brought into a right relationship with our Father. We continue to cultivate that relationship through reading and hearing God's Word, prayer, and service to others in the name of Jesus. As our relationship grows, we learn to trust God in everything, even in suffering and, yes, death. In the end, we are prepared to face death because we know it will bring us into our loving Father's presence.

Our churches can't be so focused on Christian living that they forget to prepare us to die. It is in preparing to die that we can really live, knowing that this life is only the beginning of a greater eternal life with our Lord. So think about the triumph of Jesus over sin and death, and the life He brings us through His victory, but don;t forget to think about dying, and what lies beyond death for you as you follow our Lord's example.

Sunday Sermon: "Call Me Bitter"

The book of Ruth, set in the background of the time of the judges, tells us a marvelous story that gives us a picture of even greater realities. The beginning of the story, however, is awfully dark. The family of Elimelech goes into a voluntary exile to Moab during a famine, leaving behind their home and their place in the people of God. While there, Elimelech's sons both marry Moabite wives, something not forbidden directly by the Law but certainly not completely in line with it. Then the greater tragedy occurs: Elimelech and both of his sons die. (The names of the two sons, Mahlon ("weak") and Kilion ("pining") may give us insight into their early deaths.) Who is left? Elimelech's widow, Naomi, and the two wives of her sons, Ruth and Orpah.

Naomi decides to return to Israel, perhaps just out of desperation. While her two daughters-in-law begin the journey with her, it may have been just the politeness of the younger for the elder. Naomi urges them to leave her, since there really is no future hope for them with her. Orpah follows Naomi's advice and returns to her home, but Ruth refuses to leave. She has decided to remain with Naomi, not only out of family loyalty but also because she has chosen to adopt Naomi's GOd as her own.

Ruth is the central character of the story, and we often focus on her choices when we look at this passage. I think we miss a big point, however, when we skip over Naomi's reactions  When we examine her situation, we see a woman who is older, with no husband, no place of her own, no financial support, and an extra mouth to feed in her foreign daughter-in-law.

How does she react? She acknowledges that it is the Lord who is in control, and accepts that what has happened to her is from Him. Her faith is shaken because of that, and she is in despair. She actually asks that her name be changed, from Naomi {"pleasant"} to Mara {"bitter"}. Her life has become bitter, and her spirit is bitter.

At the end of chapter 1, everything looks bleak for her and for Ruth. Since we tend to rush right into chapter 2, we see what's going to happen and how the Lord will provide, but I think it's important to see where Naomi is at this point. In our own lives, we often find ourselves in situations where we see the Lord moving in ways that make no sense to us, and that leave us at least close to despair. We wonder where God is, and why He isn't doing anything to help us. Yet we may only be at the end of "chapter 1" in our situation.

What does that mean for us? Before we fall into despair, and give up on God, we need to recognize that one moment in our lives does not tell our whole story. The Lord may be working out something that is greater than we expect, but we need to be prepared for it. I believe that we more often arow and move forward in our spiritual lives through our trial than through our blessings. We may need to be dislodged from things in which we have placed our faith, and learn to rely on the Lord.

So if you are experiencing challenges in your life, don't despair. You may just be at the end of chapter 1. The Lord is in control, and He knows what He has in store for you and will move you to that place in His time.