It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2).
Ruth Skinner died early this morning. Her daughter, Mary Grove, has been a long time member of NewLife, and Ruth and Mary lived together for most of their life, including the last two years at Glastonbury Health Care Center. Ruth had been suffering from cancer, and died peacefully in her sleep during the night.
As a small and fairly young congregation, funerals tend to be pretty infrequent around our church. I remember being a part of two during my time as youth pastor a few years ago, but I probably am involved in five weddings for every funeral. But whenever there is a death, the first Bible verse that always comes to mind is the aforementioned verse from Ecclesiastes 7:2. At first glance, the verse seems to paint a picture of God as the stereotypical killjoy who wants to ruin everyone’s fun and make sure no one is having a good time. It is better to go to a funeral than to a party? How many people do you know that plan for their weekend by browsing the obituaries for a good funeral to attend instead of looking for a good movie or concert to catch?
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting. In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey famously said to “Begin with the end in mind.” He encouraged his readers to picture their funeral, and to imagine what they would like people to be saying about their life. What kind of husband or wife, father or mother, friend or working associate would you like their words to reflect? Every time I find myself in a house of mourning, two things that really matter are brought into sharp focus: “How would I want to be remembered when I die?” and “Is the way I’m living my life right now in line with that goal?”
Of course, above those two questions is an even bigger question: “What will happen when I die?” As the verse from Ecclesiastes ends, “for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.” Our society seems to live as if it wants to push death as far away as possible. From all the anti-aging products and services to even all the plastic surgery options, the clear message seems to be to stay young as long as possible and to try not to contemplate your own mortality. Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with trying to live a healthy life and attempting to maintain a high quality of life for as long as possible, but it has to coupled with a sober recognition that death is inevitable, and that it is critical to understand what will happen when you die.
The message of the Bible is that all people are destined to die once and then to face judgment by a holy God (Hebrews 9:27). And this judgment will decide whether you spend all of eternity in the presence of God or separated from God and everything that is good. The Bible is also clear that as long as you’ve lived a perfect life, you should have nothing to worry about on that day. On the other hand, if you’ve fallen short in any way, if you failed to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself perfectly, then you are deserving of Hell, eternal separation from a holy God who can not stand in the presence of sin (Romans 6:23).
The good news is that our loving God was not willing to let that separation be the last word for His beloved creation, but He sent His son Jesus to live the perfect life that we could not live, to die a sacrificial death to pay the penalty for our sins, and to open a way back into a relationship with God (John 3:16). Jesus said that “this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:2). Eternal life is more than just life after death; it is a relationship with God that produces in those connected to God a quality of life that is beyond anything this world has to offer. It begins at the moment of conversion, and reaches its full potential when we die and are brought into the presence of God. And this eternal life is available to all who would turn from their sins and call Jesus their Lord and Savior.
If you are skeptical about the above explanation of what happens when you die, you owe it to yourself to heed the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes and “take to heart” the fact that you will one day die. What will happen when you die? Was Jesus right? Or is there really no meaning to life, just a final death that erases your existence? There is perhaps no more important question in life than this one: in the light of your inevitable death, how then shall you live?
And if you believe that gospel with all your heart, then are you living in the light of the eternal life you’ve been given? The Tim McGraw song urges you to “live like you were dying.” But what would it look like to live as if you were going to live forever in the presence of God? What would it look like to truly be a citizen of heaven and not earth, to store up treasure in heaven and not here, to keep the reality of eternity and judgment in mind in your relationships with others?
If you are attending Ruth’s funeral this Saturday, or if you find yourself in a house of mourning in the near future, remember the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes. It is better to be in that place of mourning then to spend your life partying in an attempt to forget about your mortality. It is a good thing to be reminded of what really matters, and to be reminded again of how amazing our God is, that He overcame even death. As Paul put it so well in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Thank you Jesus for the eternal life you’ve given to us.
Write a comment