December 10, 2008
“Insights on Death”
Dear Friend,
I continue to feel a fascination with Emily Dickinson’s poem in which we may view death as a carriage ride. Emily wrote:
Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
And Immortality.
I see this quotation from two perspectives. First, when viewed properly, death is a friend who takes us where we cannot go by ourselves. Second, when viewed through the pain of loss, death is a mystery which takes away from us people we cannot afford to lose.
However we view death, either from the perspective of our own mortality or the mortality of those we love, it is both a physical necessity and a spiritual reality. Our Creator never intended for us to encounter this necessity and reality by ourselves. Processing the pain of death requires the presence and love of other good people. It also requires the presence and love of God for us as individuals. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:5, May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. In this insight from Paul, I recognize two divine comforts:
- 1.The love of God – God’s love is eternal. It is untouched by time and mortality.
- 2.The steadfastness of Christ – Time and mortality affect the perseverance of all things except Christ’s total reliability.
Perhaps if we put Emily Dickinson and Paul together, we receive great insight. The driver of the carriage is not death, but rather our loving and faithful God. Death is the carriage by which God gets us into eternal life.
brave enough to declare to yourself, and to the those around you, who it is you intend to be.
Doc
Dr. Dave Collings
Lead Pastor
Christ Church
