Thank God it is Monday. This is one of the favorite sayings for preachers. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful, sunny, Sunday. Many have reported that they have seen and heard the robins. We have also seen and heard the flocks of Geese returning North with Holy Honks. Sweet Spring is here. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful weekend of worship, witness, and fellowship.
I conducted two funeral services last week, one on Monday and the other on Saturday. We proclaim the comfort and peace of Jesus during times of grief and loss. We proclaim the Good News of Resurrection in the face of death. Jesus our Lord faced death headlong and proclaimed with great audacity, "I am the Resurrection and Life". He also wept before the death of his friend. Best of all, Jesus has overcome death. He is the Alpha and Omega.
During the Lenten Season we focus on His passion and death culminating in His victorious Resurrection. One of the readings for Sunday was taken from Psalm 116. Psalm 116:15 is at once both beautiful and startling. It provides a measure of comfort and assurance, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” This verse is not universal. It does not claim to apply to every death or every person. That is very clear. Note that it speaks of the death His SAINTS. Jesus made it very clear that not everyone should look forward to death. “I tell you the truth, whoever has my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live” (John 5:24-25). The Psalm speaks only of the death of the saints. "Saints" refers not to angels or perfect people or the rare heroes of the church. A saint is one who belongs to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Those are the ones whose death is precious. The Bible promises, “Blessed are those who die in the Lord for they rest from their labors” (Rev 14:11).
Johann Sebastian Bach has composed a powerful piece named " Come Sweet Death".
Charles Spurgeon, the great English Victorian preacher, wrote of the death of Richard Baxter, the great Puritan preacher. As Baxter lay dying some friends came to see him. They asked him what we all asked at times like that, “How are you doing?” Baxter was weak and obviously near death, but with great effort he answered, “I am almost well.” Spurgeon explained, “Death cures; it is the best medicine, for they who die are not only almost well, but healed forever. You will see, then, that the statement of our text implies that the aspect of death is altogether altered from that appearance in which men commonly behold it. Death, to the saints, is not a penalty, it is not destruction, it is not even a loss.
Charles Spurgeon, the great English Victorian preacher, wrote of the death of Richard Baxter, the great Puritan preacher. As Baxter lay dying some friends came to see him. They asked him what we all asked at times like that, “How are you doing?” Baxter was weak and obviously near death, but with great effort he answered, “I am almost well.” Spurgeon explained, “Death cures; it is the best medicine, for they who die are not only almost well, but healed forever. You will see, then, that the statement of our text implies that the aspect of death is altogether altered from that appearance in which men commonly behold it. Death, to the saints, is not a penalty, it is not destruction, it is not even a loss.
Psalm 116 is really about life, not death. It speaks of the protection the Lord provides in times of trouble and danger. It is a reminder about how much God values us in life and death. Psalm 116 begins. “I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, save me!” The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints because God does not take our life or our death lightly. Our God values us so much that he sent Jesus Christ to be our Savior regardless of who we are, where we live, what we have, or what we’ve done. He offers us the free gift of forgiveness and life everlasting though faith in Jesus Christ. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints because God does not take our life or our death lightly. Our God values us so much that he sent Jesus Christ to be our Savior regardless of who we are, where we live, what we have, or what we’ve done. He offers us the free gift of forgiveness and life everlasting though faith in Jesus Christ. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
In Christ,
Brown
Friday March 9, 2012
Television Outreach
Time Warner Cable Channel 4
Time 7:00 PM
Saturday Evening Worship Service:
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott, NY
Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church
Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship
6:30 PM Worship Service
Date: Saturday, March 10, 2012
Speaker: Dave Hettinger
Special Music by Jane Hettinger. For information, call 607-748-6329
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