REAL victory!


How strange this fear of death is! We are never frightened at a sunset. –George MacDonald


I learned something interesting earlier this week: Costco, home of just about everything your heart could desire, also sells . . . caskets. The most popular one starts around $1300, and they will even expedite shipping for your convenience. (Thanks, Molly Baskette!)

Interesting that finally, it seems, we have begun to treat death as a normal part of living, isn’t it? And yet—do we, really? As Easter has come and gone again; we have rejoiced at Christ’s deliverance from and victory over death. But have we truly allowed ourselves to be changed by this victory?

Once the final Hallelujah has been sung and we have gone home with our lilies and tulips, once the family goes their separate ways and our day-to-day tasks resume, do we do any of these things any differently?

Even with a promise of eternity, we still seem awfully fond of this life, don’t we? We celebrate when we get a raise or a promotion, a Big Deal in the world’s scheme of things. We ignore so many of the things that trouble the heart of Christ: the hungry children; the many elderly folks, alone and sad; the sick, who have no one to visit them as they deal with cancer.

If we are truly transformed by the gospel message of Jesus’ victory over death, our lives will reflect that transformation. We’ll be unable to resist sharing this news, not with our words, but with the very essence of our lives, for every day we have left in the world. And when we are finally laid to rest in that beautiful, silk-lined casket, the life we have lived will, like Jesus, live on long after we are gone. Victory, indeed.


Monday Are you in the habit of reading the obituaries in the newspaper? Pause today and say a prayer for the family of at least one person who died recently. Proverbs 8:35-36

Tuesday Spring is in the air. (Really.) Spend a few minutes or more outside today. Breathe deeply. Try to identify what you smell on the air. Psalm 19:1-4

Wednesday Wednesday, Hump Day, for many is the day we feel most “stuck.” Give yourself a treat today. Have lunch with a friend, or enjoy some ice cream. Rest. John 1:16-17

Thursday Look around you for signs of eternity: returning plants, flowering trees, playful squirrels. Reflect on what it means—to you-- to live forever. Ecclesiastes 3:10-11

Friday Are you superstitious? What “little-g” gods get in the way of your living life to its absolute fullest? Try, just for today, to remove one idol from your life. 1 Corinthians 8:2-3

Saturday Pause today and reflect on your life so far. Focus on the positive; turn the rest of it over to God. Give thanks for God’ limitless grace and rest. Jeremiah 31:33-34

Sunday Sing Hallelujah again. We are, after all Easter people. Praise God for your church family, and find new ways to serve. 1 Samuel 3:1-15

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. –Steve Jobs

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