Death
1 Amens
Death-
Media- William Shatner Video
Welcome-Chris
Kids Story: Ben
Song- call to worship
Dismiss Kids/ Reading: Psalm 16:5-8, Psalm 116: 12-15, Psalm 16:9-11
Today we talk about death. So far, in this series, we’ve covered Work, Sabbath, Doubt, Belief… and today, in leading us up to Ash Wednesday, a time when we traditionally, as people following Jesus, take some time to think about and ponder our own mortality, we talk about death. Can anyone remember when it was that they first knew for certain that someday, they were going to die?
Do you ever think about your own death? What do you think about it?
I can’t remember exactly when I first knew I would die- but I’ll bet it had something to do with a question I heard in church and was urged to ask others…At a certain point, we were all told about the importance of “sharing our faith”… which in that context involved going out on the street and confronting total strangers with questions like “If you died tonight, where would you go?” A lot of interesting conversations come out of that type of thing… it’s not the most productive way to start a conversation…
But here’s the thing… it’s really the wrong question. If a relationship with God has bearing on death as opposed to the here and now, then in a sense, that mentality casts Christianity as a religion for death. If the whole point is to get my butt through the pearly gates and into heaven, then I for one will consider that question later, at my leisure, perhaps on my death bed… “But you don’t know when you’re going to die!” I’ll take my chances…
A lot of times, we inadvertently make Christianity into nothing more than eternal fire insurance, a religion for death… and that’s not how Jesus spoke of it.
A better question would be “Do you know what you are doing right here and now???” Because the fact is- Very few of us have any real sense that we know what we’re doing in this life…
In Scripture, wisdom literature, like the book of Ecclesiastes is intensely practical- it helps us to understand that relationship with God is relevant to this life here and now. It’s all about how to live wisely- how not to waste your life. And we’re going to look this morning at a few verses from Ecc 7 where Solomon talks very frankly about… death. And gives us some good advice.
VS Ecc 7:1-
Names… reputation. Basically- how people “sum” you up. Wise people are highly concerned about their name… Why? Well… if you want to know which parts of your character really stick out, good or bad, just ask people what your reputation is. And what the author is saying here is that if you have lived wisely, when you get to the end of your life, it’s an okay thing. You haven’t wasted it. On the day you are born people celebrate your birth and all the potential that lies ahead of you. But for those who live wisely, who don’t waste their lives, the day they die is even better because people celebrate a life of significance- potential realized. Not just dreams, but accomplishments. The difference that person made.
Kierkegaard (and for those of you who are keeping score, this is the 3rd week in a row with a Kierkegaard ref.) said: Define life forward, live it backwards.
Keep that in mind and look at VS 2
Everyone dies. And so wise people go to funerals and pay attention. How many of you have been to a funeral? What do you do/hear/experience at funerals?
Funerals are like a crash course on the difference between wise and foolish living. Look around. Who’s there? What are they saying about that person? Do they have to struggle to come up with something nice to say, or is it difficult to shut people up because they have so much they want to say about this person. Are people just putting in time, looking at their watches, wondering when they can leave… or are they there to connect with a life that was hugely appreciated and will be sorely missed?
Solomon says wise people go to funerals and pay attention, because they also remind us, that someday, we will die. And if you listen closely at a funeral, you will hear what really matters in life…
You have relatively few days left in your life. How do you want to spend them? Those of you who are married… some day your spouse will die- so, living backwards from that, what does that mean to you now? Should you argue about things that you’ll later wish you had let slide? Should you double the amount of times you say “I love you” knowing that if you don’t, you’ll wish you had? Should you kiss more often, hug more often, make love more often? Should you appreciate more the person God has given you?
Some day your parents will die, so living backwards from that, what does that mean to you now? Should you talk? Should you forgive?
VS 3-
Make time in your life to grieve. In the language of Proverbs or Ecc, it’s “Fools” who do not know how to grieve… Solomon has already told us earlier in the book that there’s a time for everything- for laughter, and for grief.
Which taught you more in life? Those things that made you happy or those things that made you sad? Which changed you more, grew you more?
Look- I’m not saying you need to cry at every episode of Oprah or every Hallmark commercial… but you better know how to cry when loss, and real hurt come, because if you don’t… What do you all think happens when we fail to grieve?
You don’t have to put a good, positive spin on everything. God does not expect or want us to walk around with plastic grins glued to our faces… what He wants is for us to be real, and to embrace everything that this life has for us- the easy stuff, as well as the hard. Embrace grief, go through it, and then get over it. It’s good for you… Who has the NIV? What does this verse say? The NIV translates this as “a sad face is good for the heart. “
VS 4-
Like we said, a wise person defines life backwards, but the fool can only concentrate on short-term gain. What is the purpose of your life? To have a good time? To accumulate possessions? If we Truman Show’ed you, and just watched tape of you doing what you do for a week, a month, a year… what would we conclude is the purpose of your life? If we had to discern from what you do, and from how you spent your time what your life was all about- what would we say?
And is what we would say something worth basing your life on?
He seems to be about getting a promotion. She seems to be about escaping into books. They seem to really be about their hobbies… Well, numerically speaking, TV seems to be the top priority…
Or would we say- wow- that week shows a concern for family in working hard at work so as to provide AND working hard at being present at home. That week shows a lot of concern for others- praying for them, encouraging them, serving when possible… That week was full of time spent turning towards God, worship, prayer...
VS 5-6
How do I live life backwards- how practically can I make sure my life actually counts for something? A good place to start is this: Listen to others. Wise people learn to listen to criticism from other wise people… You will always be able to find people to tell you what you want to hear, to slap you on the back like a good buddy and tell you you’re doing fine… Solomon says that stuff is quickly gone. It’s vanity, meaningless, hevel, like smoke, like thorns crackling in the fire- a lot of noise, not a lot of heat, and too soon gone. Fools pick friends who legitimize their folly. Better to listen to the hard things you may not necessarily want to hear, but which will have a lasting impact on your life.
VS 7
The word extortion here might be better translated as “oppression.” Anyone have a translation that says that?
What is he saying? if you can’t put life in the right perspective, if you can’t listen to others when they give wise, constructive criticism… when tough times come and you are feeling oppressed, you will do something foolish. When the pressure is on, maybe you end up taking a bribe, maybe a little money from the till, maybe cheat a little on the ol’ income tax… The foolish person will take a job that they know means trading away their character for a better salary. Wise people know that no amount of money is worth your integrity… your reputation. We laugh at celebrities who end up doing infomercials on late night TV- what are they thinking? They used to be so cool, and now, just to make a buck… And yet, an opportunity comes along for us to make money by just cutting a corner here or there… And here we’re veering into character. That’s why he says…
VS 8
Yes- Starting is easier than finishing… but finishing is better than starting. We don’t really think like that, do we? That’s not our attitude towards life and death, is it? Solomon says: It doesn’t matter how you start- it’s how you end. So think now about how you want that end to be… and start working there.
This is a young community- Not a whole lot of gray hair (which by the way means we should really value the gray hair among us… We’ve had a lot of marriages, a lot of births- no funerals… yet.
I love being one of your pastors- thank you for letting me teach you, and correct you, and cheer for you. I love baptizing you, marrying you to each other and dedicating your children to God- and I dread the day when I have to bury one of you. But I know that someday, I will need to.
And so, as your pastor, let me say this: Evergreen People, Live your lives in such a way that your funeral will go on for hours. When we come together to celebrate your life, let it be a life filled with stories of the people you encouraged, the way you loved others, the difference you made. Let us remember the times you prayed for us, the way you pitched in and helped when needed, the love you had for others, and most of all, the love you had for Jesus. How you followed Him and helped others do the same.
Scripture says “A wise person thinks about death.” Live life like you are going to die… Because you are...
Now… that being said… I’d feel badly if that was ALL we said about death.
The truth is, understanding what Scripture says about death, and about what Jesus has done for us, for anyone willing to follow Him, lets you not just live life like you are going to die, but die knowing you are going to live.
Jesus was speaking to a woman named Martha who had just lost her brother, and He told her “Your brother will rise again.” And she began to give the nice religious answer “Yes, I know… he will rise on the last day with everyone else.” And I love Jesus answer: He looks at her and says basically, -the last day? Is that where your hope is? That somehow, sometime in the future all of this will work out? Don’t put your hope in the last day. Put your hope in ME. “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, though they die like everyone else, they will live again.” Where Jesus is there is life. Where Jesus is, death is impotent. We put our hope in a person, in Jesus- the one who Himself, as we will celebrate this Easter, broke the power of death.
We're going to talk in depth when we move through 1st Corinthians later this year about the resurrection- OUR resurrection, and what that means. But for now, let me say this- here's what Scripture says:
VS 1 Cor 15:54-55
It’s okay to grieve when someone dies. But we don’t grieve, as Paul writes elsewhere, as those who have no hope. We live in a broken world and feel deeply the pains of suffering and loss, but… The promise of Scripture, of the Resurrection, of Jesus is that everything sad is going TO COME UNTRUE.
“I wish I could believe that.” Try believing it and seeing the difference it makes. To even want the resurrection, to love the idea of the resurrection, long for the promise of the resurrection even though you are unsure of it, is strengthening. 1st John 3:2-3 says “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” Our hope is in the one who promises us that death is not the end. Our hope is in the one who rose again and proved it. And our task now, is to live like Him. To live our lives in such a way, that when we die, though people are sad to lose us, we’ve given them something real, something substantive, something like Jesus to celebrate…
Let’s pray.
2- songs- Take My Life, You are All I Need
Wrap-up- discussion
Song- I Will Not Forget You
Announcements-Chris
Blessing-
Read MoreMedia- William Shatner Video
Welcome-Chris
Kids Story: Ben
Song- call to worship
Dismiss Kids/ Reading: Psalm 16:5-8, Psalm 116: 12-15, Psalm 16:9-11
Today we talk about death. So far, in this series, we’ve covered Work, Sabbath, Doubt, Belief… and today, in leading us up to Ash Wednesday, a time when we traditionally, as people following Jesus, take some time to think about and ponder our own mortality, we talk about death. Can anyone remember when it was that they first knew for certain that someday, they were going to die?
Do you ever think about your own death? What do you think about it?
I can’t remember exactly when I first knew I would die- but I’ll bet it had something to do with a question I heard in church and was urged to ask others…At a certain point, we were all told about the importance of “sharing our faith”… which in that context involved going out on the street and confronting total strangers with questions like “If you died tonight, where would you go?” A lot of interesting conversations come out of that type of thing… it’s not the most productive way to start a conversation…
But here’s the thing… it’s really the wrong question. If a relationship with God has bearing on death as opposed to the here and now, then in a sense, that mentality casts Christianity as a religion for death. If the whole point is to get my butt through the pearly gates and into heaven, then I for one will consider that question later, at my leisure, perhaps on my death bed… “But you don’t know when you’re going to die!” I’ll take my chances…
A lot of times, we inadvertently make Christianity into nothing more than eternal fire insurance, a religion for death… and that’s not how Jesus spoke of it.
A better question would be “Do you know what you are doing right here and now???” Because the fact is- Very few of us have any real sense that we know what we’re doing in this life…
In Scripture, wisdom literature, like the book of Ecclesiastes is intensely practical- it helps us to understand that relationship with God is relevant to this life here and now. It’s all about how to live wisely- how not to waste your life. And we’re going to look this morning at a few verses from Ecc 7 where Solomon talks very frankly about… death. And gives us some good advice.
VS Ecc 7:1-
Names… reputation. Basically- how people “sum” you up. Wise people are highly concerned about their name… Why? Well… if you want to know which parts of your character really stick out, good or bad, just ask people what your reputation is. And what the author is saying here is that if you have lived wisely, when you get to the end of your life, it’s an okay thing. You haven’t wasted it. On the day you are born people celebrate your birth and all the potential that lies ahead of you. But for those who live wisely, who don’t waste their lives, the day they die is even better because people celebrate a life of significance- potential realized. Not just dreams, but accomplishments. The difference that person made.
Kierkegaard (and for those of you who are keeping score, this is the 3rd week in a row with a Kierkegaard ref.) said: Define life forward, live it backwards.
Keep that in mind and look at VS 2
Everyone dies. And so wise people go to funerals and pay attention. How many of you have been to a funeral? What do you do/hear/experience at funerals?
Funerals are like a crash course on the difference between wise and foolish living. Look around. Who’s there? What are they saying about that person? Do they have to struggle to come up with something nice to say, or is it difficult to shut people up because they have so much they want to say about this person. Are people just putting in time, looking at their watches, wondering when they can leave… or are they there to connect with a life that was hugely appreciated and will be sorely missed?
Solomon says wise people go to funerals and pay attention, because they also remind us, that someday, we will die. And if you listen closely at a funeral, you will hear what really matters in life…
You have relatively few days left in your life. How do you want to spend them? Those of you who are married… some day your spouse will die- so, living backwards from that, what does that mean to you now? Should you argue about things that you’ll later wish you had let slide? Should you double the amount of times you say “I love you” knowing that if you don’t, you’ll wish you had? Should you kiss more often, hug more often, make love more often? Should you appreciate more the person God has given you?
Some day your parents will die, so living backwards from that, what does that mean to you now? Should you talk? Should you forgive?
VS 3-
Make time in your life to grieve. In the language of Proverbs or Ecc, it’s “Fools” who do not know how to grieve… Solomon has already told us earlier in the book that there’s a time for everything- for laughter, and for grief.
Which taught you more in life? Those things that made you happy or those things that made you sad? Which changed you more, grew you more?
Look- I’m not saying you need to cry at every episode of Oprah or every Hallmark commercial… but you better know how to cry when loss, and real hurt come, because if you don’t… What do you all think happens when we fail to grieve?
You don’t have to put a good, positive spin on everything. God does not expect or want us to walk around with plastic grins glued to our faces… what He wants is for us to be real, and to embrace everything that this life has for us- the easy stuff, as well as the hard. Embrace grief, go through it, and then get over it. It’s good for you… Who has the NIV? What does this verse say? The NIV translates this as “a sad face is good for the heart. “
VS 4-
Like we said, a wise person defines life backwards, but the fool can only concentrate on short-term gain. What is the purpose of your life? To have a good time? To accumulate possessions? If we Truman Show’ed you, and just watched tape of you doing what you do for a week, a month, a year… what would we conclude is the purpose of your life? If we had to discern from what you do, and from how you spent your time what your life was all about- what would we say?
And is what we would say something worth basing your life on?
He seems to be about getting a promotion. She seems to be about escaping into books. They seem to really be about their hobbies… Well, numerically speaking, TV seems to be the top priority…
Or would we say- wow- that week shows a concern for family in working hard at work so as to provide AND working hard at being present at home. That week shows a lot of concern for others- praying for them, encouraging them, serving when possible… That week was full of time spent turning towards God, worship, prayer...
VS 5-6
How do I live life backwards- how practically can I make sure my life actually counts for something? A good place to start is this: Listen to others. Wise people learn to listen to criticism from other wise people… You will always be able to find people to tell you what you want to hear, to slap you on the back like a good buddy and tell you you’re doing fine… Solomon says that stuff is quickly gone. It’s vanity, meaningless, hevel, like smoke, like thorns crackling in the fire- a lot of noise, not a lot of heat, and too soon gone. Fools pick friends who legitimize their folly. Better to listen to the hard things you may not necessarily want to hear, but which will have a lasting impact on your life.
VS 7
The word extortion here might be better translated as “oppression.” Anyone have a translation that says that?
What is he saying? if you can’t put life in the right perspective, if you can’t listen to others when they give wise, constructive criticism… when tough times come and you are feeling oppressed, you will do something foolish. When the pressure is on, maybe you end up taking a bribe, maybe a little money from the till, maybe cheat a little on the ol’ income tax… The foolish person will take a job that they know means trading away their character for a better salary. Wise people know that no amount of money is worth your integrity… your reputation. We laugh at celebrities who end up doing infomercials on late night TV- what are they thinking? They used to be so cool, and now, just to make a buck… And yet, an opportunity comes along for us to make money by just cutting a corner here or there… And here we’re veering into character. That’s why he says…
VS 8
Yes- Starting is easier than finishing… but finishing is better than starting. We don’t really think like that, do we? That’s not our attitude towards life and death, is it? Solomon says: It doesn’t matter how you start- it’s how you end. So think now about how you want that end to be… and start working there.
This is a young community- Not a whole lot of gray hair (which by the way means we should really value the gray hair among us… We’ve had a lot of marriages, a lot of births- no funerals… yet.
I love being one of your pastors- thank you for letting me teach you, and correct you, and cheer for you. I love baptizing you, marrying you to each other and dedicating your children to God- and I dread the day when I have to bury one of you. But I know that someday, I will need to.
And so, as your pastor, let me say this: Evergreen People, Live your lives in such a way that your funeral will go on for hours. When we come together to celebrate your life, let it be a life filled with stories of the people you encouraged, the way you loved others, the difference you made. Let us remember the times you prayed for us, the way you pitched in and helped when needed, the love you had for others, and most of all, the love you had for Jesus. How you followed Him and helped others do the same.
Scripture says “A wise person thinks about death.” Live life like you are going to die… Because you are...
Now… that being said… I’d feel badly if that was ALL we said about death.
The truth is, understanding what Scripture says about death, and about what Jesus has done for us, for anyone willing to follow Him, lets you not just live life like you are going to die, but die knowing you are going to live.
Jesus was speaking to a woman named Martha who had just lost her brother, and He told her “Your brother will rise again.” And she began to give the nice religious answer “Yes, I know… he will rise on the last day with everyone else.” And I love Jesus answer: He looks at her and says basically, -the last day? Is that where your hope is? That somehow, sometime in the future all of this will work out? Don’t put your hope in the last day. Put your hope in ME. “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, though they die like everyone else, they will live again.” Where Jesus is there is life. Where Jesus is, death is impotent. We put our hope in a person, in Jesus- the one who Himself, as we will celebrate this Easter, broke the power of death.
We're going to talk in depth when we move through 1st Corinthians later this year about the resurrection- OUR resurrection, and what that means. But for now, let me say this- here's what Scripture says:
VS 1 Cor 15:54-55
It’s okay to grieve when someone dies. But we don’t grieve, as Paul writes elsewhere, as those who have no hope. We live in a broken world and feel deeply the pains of suffering and loss, but… The promise of Scripture, of the Resurrection, of Jesus is that everything sad is going TO COME UNTRUE.
“I wish I could believe that.” Try believing it and seeing the difference it makes. To even want the resurrection, to love the idea of the resurrection, long for the promise of the resurrection even though you are unsure of it, is strengthening. 1st John 3:2-3 says “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” Our hope is in the one who promises us that death is not the end. Our hope is in the one who rose again and proved it. And our task now, is to live like Him. To live our lives in such a way, that when we die, though people are sad to lose us, we’ve given them something real, something substantive, something like Jesus to celebrate…
Let’s pray.
2- songs- Take My Life, You are All I Need
Wrap-up- discussion
Song- I Will Not Forget You
Announcements-Chris
Blessing-
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