Soul Man » Death

When Tragedy Strikes

Soul Man — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:49:59 +0000

As the global community has been deployed to provide relief to the people and land of Haiti, we still wrestle with troubling questions regarding this calamity. The fact is, we respond to world tragedies with deep, unsettling questions, don’t we? The earthquake in Haiti caused my kids to ask questions like these: Why do mind-staggering tragedies like this happen? If God is strong and powerful and loving and close, couldn’t he have prevented the devastation in Haiti? Is God punishing the people of Haiti in some way? Are the people in Haiti more unrighteous than thousands of murderers, rapists and thieves in the world, that something like this would happen to them? These questions are legitimate, but they inch me and all of us away from an appropriate personal response to world tragedy. I think I can respond appropriately to world tragedies by answering several important personal questions that Luke 13:1-9 raises – questions of mortality, eternity, and productivity.

The first question is a question of Mortality: How close am I to the end of my life?

Luke chronicles two historical events to show how indiscriminate death is. One event accounts for the evil of one man can exact on another human being. Pilate had some Galileans killed while they worshiped. These people died at the hands of an evil man. Evil people do evil things to innocent people.

The other event (which has greater relevance to the tragedy in Haiti) shows how death can happen naturally. A tower in Siloam fell and killed 18 people. Many were caught beneath the rubble, hoping and praying for someone would intervene and bring relief and rescue. Our fallen world is filled with such tragedies that break our hearts over and over again. Tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes are natural catastrophes that snatch lives out of this world each year and destroy miles and miles of valuable property. This event was so unlikely, but it happened. It was a natural disaster. Haiti has experienced one natural disaster after another. That one nation can experience so much natural disaster seems unlikely, but it has happened. This was a natural disaster. People die in natural disasters all the time, but it does not make them more sinful than anyone else.

The issue here is not the timing of death or even the cause of death. The issue is that we are mortal beings and we will all die. We love to talk about others’ deaths and tragedies just as long as it doesn’t get too personal. World tragedy is a prime opportunity for us to discuss our own mortality. Nothing is so certain as death, and nothing is so uncertain as the hour of our death. We will die, either by some horrific calamity, evil plot, cancer, car accident, or some natural cause. Most of us are not afraid to die; we just don’t want to be there when it happens. In light of this world tragedy, let us consider the question of our own mortality – How close am I to the end of my life?

If death was the end, then I think we could possibly live with that. I mean, we have lived a decent life, made a little money, enjoyed family and friends, and had some good times. But the question of Mortality causes me to consider a second question (next post) – a question of Eternity.

What Will They Say?

Soul Man — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:18:51 +0000

Every so often I wonder about my funeral. (Now, I know this is not a pleasant thought, but it has a significant purpose for me). When I think about that day, I wonder what people will say about me, you know, what kind of person I was and what kind of impact I made on the world. This process is quite humbling and motivating. It’s humbling because I know God is the one who controls life and not me. I know my life will end one day. It’s motivating because it causes me to give my life to the things that really matter – God, eternal values, family and friends.

Therefore, each day I live, I am writing, or at least have opportunity to write the eulogy that I would like read at my own funeral. Here are some questions that have been very helpful to me as I have thought through this process. They may be helpful to you, too, as you write and live your own eulogy

1. How do I want to be remembered?

2. What personal characteristics do I want people to remember me for or by?

3. What do I want to have accomplished?

4. What will have been the most important to me in my life?

5. What will my lasting legacy be?

Have you ever asked yourself these kinds of questions? If so, how did the process make you feel?

If you don’t mind, take a moment to think through one of the questions above and leave your answer here. Grace and peace.

What Happens When My Baby Dies?

Soul Man — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:45:30 +0000

As a pastor I have officiated many, many funeral services – mothers, fathers, uncles, grandfathers, teenagers, suicide victims, etc. With each service, I realize more and more, death is not the way it's supposed to be. Some would say I should put of sliver of ice in my heart and detach myself and get used to it. As a pastor, I have never gotten used to death and I hope I never will. All funeral services wreck me emotionally in some sense. But, no funeral service is more gut-wrenching for me and wrecks me more than that of a baby or a young child. The several that I have done, I could not stop bawling, even long after the service was over. Partially because the parents lost a precious gift and I can only imagine the depths of their pain. Also, because I have small children. Every so often during the singing or when we silently read the obituary, my mind would slip away and think about my own precious gifts and if it were them in the casket. These thoughts are unbearable for me, and a new fountain of tears spring from my eyes. For a split second, I place myself in their shoes and I hold the parents' pain in my heart.

During times like these, inevitably, I get asked the question – If we were all born in sin and cannot get to heaven apart from Jesus, then What happens to babies/small children when they die?

This is obviously a tender and tough question. Parents want to know, "Will I see my baby/child again? or What happens to infants/small children when they die? The proper place to begin is to admit that the Bible doesn't specifically address the question. However, we do know two things are true. Children are not born innocent in the sight of God. They are born sinners just like everyone else (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12). They are not innocent before God. Secondly, we know that God's grace is greater than human sin. Romans 5:20 reminds us that where sin abounded, grace – God's love and favor toward humanity – superabounded.

Now, because infants do not have the natural capacity to see the revelation of God's glory (John 9:41) and his will (Romans 1:20) and embrace it, I believe God, in his inscrutable way, credits children with the power of Jesus' blood and righteousness. So that those who die before they are old enough to believe are covered by his blood and their entrance into heaven is made certain. Thus, they are saved by grace. it is important to emphasize that God is not saving them because they are innocent, but he is saving them because his mercy desires that compassion to be exercised on those who are sinful yet lack the capacity to understand truth revealed about Him in nature, the human heart, the word and through his Son, Jesus.

There is one inference in the Bible that babies go to heaven when they die. In 2 Samuel 12, David is mourning over the loss his baby. He said, "But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me." v. 23. David was not perfect, but he trusted God and was called a man after God's own heart. Therefore, I believe his statement "I will go to him one day" is more than I will die one day. It goes beyond death to a reunion with his child in the presence of God.

"You are good and do only good. . . " Psalm 119:68

What do you think? What other words of encouragement would you give to a parent(s) who has lost a baby or young child?