Benediction

The last few days have carried an absolute cacophony of news of life and death for lives touching ours. Yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, a sweet lady, Dottie, from my home church (that is, the church where I grew up) passed away. I learned just a bit ago that one of my best friend's father, Jim, died late last night night. He was to begin cancer treatments yesterday and was instead admitted to hospice. Though I know little about Dottie's passing, I know that Jim's was expected, but not quite so suddenly. These lines do nothing to emphasize the jolting shock of death to children, to grandchildren, even when those dying are old.

In the meantime, church members we know celebrated the birth of a grandchild and great-grandchild. In an odd and humorous twist, the parents had been informed that their child was a girl. But on Sunday, they welcomed a son instead. Rowan is healthy and strong (and, presumably, not going to wear all the pink waiting for a baby girl at home).

On Friday, a friend forwarded me a prayer request for the son of her friends, who've been experiencing a tumultuous pregnancy due to their son's major medical problems. At that time, Tim and Paige expected to deliver their son Issac today, not knowing if he would live more than a few hours. Instead, he was delivered yesterday, and he screamed and peed--despite the non-existent kidney function the doctors all expected--and wiggled. His prognosis is still being discovered, but Tim wrote that when he left the hospital, "Paige was awake and laughing."

Few joys are so acute as those that are miracles of life; few sorrows are so intense as those that are losses in death. As Christians, we trust in the hope that is Christ and His resurrection from the dead for us. We look to He who tells us, "See My hands and My feet, that it is I myself. Touch Me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have" (Luke 24:39). He does--and we do--live, and will live. Issac and Rowan live on earth now until the last breath that God has ordained for them. Dottie and Jim have died on earth now and await their final bodily raising. But they are alive in Christ. They are in heaven, awake and laughing. And this helps us go in peace.