Tuesday, April 19

John 12: 20-26
I can understand why some people would want to skip over this week and just go
straight to Easter. Holy week is serious, dark, and penitential. It forces us to
think about suffering and death. Most people prefer not to spend their time thinking about death, but let’s be honest . . . we will all die. It is inevitable, and the
sooner we come to terms with that, the sooner we can live our lives in a way that
is genuine, honest and appreciative.
I read John 12:24-26 at Committal services. Standing outside next to a hole in
the ground and usually a casket above it, looking into the teary eyes of loved
ones I say “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this
world will keep it for eternal life.” I wonder what people think of that. Does it
bring them comfort? Does it raise questions? Are they even listening as their
minds are still processing the fact that they will never again look upon or touch a
person they loved so dearly?
As unpleasant as it may be to think about death sometimes, it is necessary that
we face the reality that there is more than just our earthly existence. Otherwise
we cling tightly to our lives- to our things, money and time. We avoid ever thinking about God’s calling in our lives, God’s eternal presence and the state of our
souls. And we find that in the end all those things that we thought would bring us
comfort and meaning will fade, rust and decay.
Do not miss the opportunity Holy Week brings to not only reflect on Christ’s suffering and death, but also to reflect on our own, and how our lives fit in to a larger
story of God’s saving grace and eternal presence.
What then will our own teary loved ones think when these words are read at our
own committal services? Will they smile, knowing that we lived our lives at peace
with our own mortality and when our final breathes came moved with joy into the
eternal arms of God?

Submitted by Pastor Jen Williamson