How do you feel about dying today?

Yes – its one of those ambiguous questions. Does it mean – how do you feel about dying in general – or how do YOU feel about DYING TODAY?

Every day of every week people are born and people die. I guess we are more aware of death than every before. It used to be a taboo subject – like everyone did it and nobody talked about it.

Now you get books on dying with style. We talk about a SEND OFF at a funeral. We measure a life by QUALITY – “he had a good innings” we say, using the metaphor of cricket.

I remember as a child how someone said of my father’s life HE HAD A GOOD INNINGS. He died at the age of 60, and I was 11. My immediate thought was WHO BOWLED HIM OUT? 60 seemed too early to retire from life.

The Christian Faith has a specific view about death.
In fact the whole thing is really about a death. The death of one man to end all deaths.
It is about God becoming one of us and dying.

He died for us. Christians believe that he didn’t stay in the tomb. We worship on Sundays, the first day of the week, because we believe that he was raised to life on the Sunday. We baptize people as a symbol of dying and being raised to life again. We eat bread and drink wine remembering his sacrificial death.

We bury or cremate our dead with these words: Jesus said:

"I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die;”

Ich bin die Auferstehung und das Leben. Wer an mich glaubt, wird leben, auch wenn er stirbt.

ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή. ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, κἂν ἀποθάνῃ, ζήσεται·

ego sum resurrectio et vita qui credit in me et si mortuus fuerit vivet

Ek is die opstanding en die lewe; wie in My glo, sal lewe al het hy ook gesterwe;

Io sono la risurrezione e la vita; chi crede in me, anche se muore, vivrà;

Myfi yw'r atgyfodiad a'r bywyd. Pwy bynnag sy'n credu ynof fi, er iddo farw, fe fydd byw

I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die;

Easter is a celebration of this truth. When you stand at a grave, or go into a crematorium, it makes an enormous difference to believe and know that it’s not the end, but a beginning of a wonderful new life. Faith in Jesus is an amazing thing. We live differently because we will die with gratitude for this life, and the life to come.
Amen.