"The Reality fo Death"

A sermon preached by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) based on Psalm 39.

There is a somber prayer found in the Book of Common Prayer that is offered as part of the Burial Office for the deceased, the prayer begins with the words; “In the midst of life we are in death.” And certainly, that is a rather grim reminder for us, isn’t it? “In the midst of life we are in death.” But not only is this is a grim reminder for us, it is also a difficult one. You know, sometimes it’s difficult to talk about death. Despite all of our modern technology, despite our advances in medicine and science, the fact of the matter is “in the midst of life we are in death.” And while some of us are promised more time than others, we all know that one day death will come for each of us - for death does not discriminate, nor is death always fair or compassionate or gracious.
Peter Gomes recalls a service held at The Memorial Church of Harvard University on an All Saints’ Sunday several years ago. He said that the choir performed Hugo Distler’s Dance of Death, where a white-faced Death danced down the aisles of the church, confronting all estates and classes of people, inviting them to dance with him. Death did not discriminate, he took the hand of the white collar and blue collar, the rich and middle class, the educated and average, the elderly and the young - all were called and all found it hard to believe that they had somehow been summoned. “In the midst of life we are in death.” While it may seem grim, it is reality. Death is inevitable.
On this All Saints’ and Souls’ Sunday we are confronted with that reality. Someone once said that the quality of our living is determined in large measure by the attitude we take toward our dying. And I think there is a lot of truth in that - our attitude toward death and dying, says a whole lot about the way we live our lives.
I heard the story of a Bible study group who was discussing death. And the leader of the group said; “You know, we will all die some day and none of us really knows when but if we did, we would all probably do a better job of preparing ourselves for that inevitable event.” Everybody in the group nodded their heads in agreement. And then the leader asked the group; “What would you do if you knew you only had 4 weeks left?” “Well,” said on gentleman, “for those 4 weeks, I would go out into the community and share the gospel.” Another lady said enthusiastically; “For those 4 weeks, I would dedicate all of my remaining time to serving my family and my church with a greater conviction.” One man in the back finally spoke up and said loudly. “If I only had 4 weeks remaining, I would travel the country with my in-laws in Volkswagen Beetle, and stay in the cheapest motels possible.” Everyone was puzzled by his answer and said; “Why in the world would you do that?” “Because,” the man said sarcastically, “it would be the longest 4 weeks of my life!”
In our Scripture Lesson this morning, we see that the psalmist doesn’t try to avoid the subject of death; rather, he confronts it. In fact, he pleads with God, saying; “Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” And perhaps we can’t help but think to ourselves; “Why would anyone want to know such a grim thing?”
Someone has said that death is nature’s way of telling us to slow down, and perhaps there’s some truth in that. But the question of our text is one of confrontation rather than of avoidance. “How long do I have, Lord; let me know so that I can set my affairs in order.” If we were to paraphrase the psalmist’s words, we might make it read: “Lord, remind me of my weakness, remind me of my frailty, remind me that this life and its possessions are all temporary, and in the time I have left, let me serve you faithfully.”
I like that philosophy. Such is the philosophy we should all take when it comes to life. And certainly, this is the reminder of All Saints’ and Souls’ Sunday. That philosophy reminds me of the words of Martin Luther who said; “If I knew I were going to die tomorrow, I would still plant a tree today.”
I think it is important for us to remember that All Saints’ and Souls’ Sunday is really a combination of two days. November the 1st is All Saints’ Day in the church and it is the day that the church encourages us to celebrate the saints - both deceased and living, the saints in all times and places. It is also a reminder to us that we are called to be God’s Saints, that we have been made holy, that we have been “set apart” by God through Christ to live in a radically different way and that way is the way of Christ - the way of the Gospel.
And then, on November the 2nd, is All Souls’ Day in the life of the church and this is the day that we remember all of those who have gone on before us. And so, this is an important day for two reasons. The first, is for us to remember and secondly, for us to celebrate who we are - the saints of God.
A chemist once analyzed the composition of the human body and concluded that the average person has enough fat to make seven bars of soap, enough iron to make a medium-sized nail, enough lime to whitewash a small building, enough phosphorus to make 2,200 match tips, enough magnesium for a single dose of Milk of Magnesia, enough potassium to explode a toy cap gun, and there’s a little sulphur thrown in to boot. The chemist concluded that our net worth is less than $5.00. What a humbling thought! And even more humbling is the reminder of that prayer; “In the midst of life we are in death.” You see, when we are confronted with the reality of our mortality, we realize just how precious and fragile life is. But, while this life is temporary; while outwardly we are wasting away, Paul reminds us that inwardly we are being renewed day by day. We are precious and priceless to God. In fact, we are God’s saints.
Our Scripture Lesson this morning is about limitations and opportunities, and we must be reminded of our limitations. The psalmist writes; “Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: he bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.”
You know, the Egyptians buried their pharaohs with their servants and riches and tools and all the things that they had acquired in this life. You see, they believe by doing this they could carry on without interruption in the next life. And sadly, many people live their lives as though this were true.
I often share a quote by the Greek aristocrat, Aristeides, who wrote to one of his friends around the year 125 A.D. Aristeides was trying to explain the extraordinary success of Christianity, which was still a fairly young movement at the time. And in one of his letters he wrote to a friend, he said; “If a righteous person among the Christians passes away, they rejoice and offer thanks to God, and they accompany the body with songs and thanksgiving as if that person had simply moved from one place to another.” What a beautiful thought! I’ve shared with you before a beautiful tradition of the early church. When one of their members died, written by their name in the membership book, were the words; “Transferred to the church above.”
Peter Gomes writes; “…for in Christ we see that death is not the end, that death itself is conquered, and that we can share in that promise of newness of life. Therefore, rather than avoid death, the Christian confronts it, accepts it, and realizes that death is a comma rather than a period. That is the revolutionary attitude toward death, and it is the essential ingredient of the Christian message. Christ, through his resurrection from the dead has overcome that ultimate enemy.” Death does not hold us, or steals us, or claims us; death is not an end but a beginning.
As Paul reminds us in the 8th chapter of his letter to the Romans; “We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”
And so, we live and labor and love with Christ who sets us free from the fear and corruption of death, and through that cosmic encounter of Christ with death we are brought together with all of God’s saints into newness of life. May we affirm with the Apostle Peter; “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are guarded through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” And so, on this All Saints’ and Souls’ Sunday, let us rejoice with those who have run their course and we pray now for the strength to run our own. Amen.