Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Fear of Death

"In perfect health I went from home,
Not knowing that my race was run,
As flowers grow and then decay,
A sudden death snatched me away.

Little thought my time so short,
In this world to remain,
When from my home I went away,
And hoped to return again.

The stroke of death did end my time,
And cut me off just in my prime,
Short was my life, sharp was my pain,
Great was your loss, much more my gain."

Farewell my wife and brother so dear,
I am not dead, but sleeping here.
My debt is paid, my grave you see,
Therefore prepare to follow me.


"Jesus lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly."
 "One by one life's chain on earth is broken.  One by one it's linged again in heaven."

We see a lot of gravestones this time of year.  Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead this time of year also.  There are "death" things everywhere.  Here, Halloween is for Children, and the Day of the Dead is for adults.  They believe that the spirits return to the earth on this night, and they need to leave an offering for them so they won't take vengence.  While it is treated like a game, under the surface there is real fear among so many; fear of the dead, fear of devils, fear of the unseen spiritual world all around us.

I took the above pictures of an old cemetery not far from here.  There were some of the early English settlers who came here to work on the mines.  As you can see, death was something that brought sorrow, but it was accompanied by faith and hope.  Nearly all of the very old graves had words of hope and joy.  These people lived an incredibly hard life.  We toured the mines they worked in.  Their testimony of hope is written in stone here and in other places as well.  Remember that, while so many others play with death and fear this month, Death holds no sting for those in Christ;  He took that on Himself.  If we belong to Christ, His Spirit dwells in us-there is no greater spirit than His, and we need not fear other spirits.  This is a good time of year to rejoice in our freedom from fear!

1Co 15:55-58  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  (56)  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  (57)  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  (58)  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

5 comments:

redneck preacher said...

GOOD post, What's linged? I tried to read linked there but couldn't. Halloween has changed here too. It is like people have abandoned the pseudo Christian roots from the Catholic Church and embraced the real pagan origins and love of the dead.
GOOD post
HTOITA

Sarah Joy said...

Not all the spelling was standardized, and English spelling is different. I'm not sure if they use that word today, but I'm betting it means linked.

Talking to Hermana Mari about the love of the dead, and suicide, and she doesn't get it. She's been fighting with all her strength just to live, to survive cancer, and doesn't understand why people filled with life and strength look to death to solve their problems, or celebrate it at all. Life is a precious gift.

redneck preacher said...

I had not thought of the spelling standardization thing. Linked is the word. Good for Senora Mari. She is right.

Remember the three signs of demon activity, a preoccupation with
1. Reproductive issues (see how tactful I are)
2. Violence
3. Death
I could add a fourth and say hatred of my coffee but don't want to get into trouble.

HTOITA

redneck preacher said...

Sarah, my princess

You are a study of contradictions
There is tender love for a weeping child
And sometimes a steady hand

You taught my pup to fear your wrath
On the floor near my kitchen table
Yet she followed you with eyes of love
As one of her favorite people

Whenever I floundered and sought advice
You were never faint to give it
At times we’d concur and I’d trudge ahead
And sometimes I’d take a pass
But one thing I could always trust
Was your dependence upon the Lord

I have learned to admire your wise young head
And wish we were a shorter trip
But know you always fill my heart with joy and admiration

This poem has no metric rhyme
Or clever erudition
It is little more than thoughts put down
That still aren’t up to measure
I’d put some more if I thought the case
Could be helped with added verbiage
My only goal is to say my love
And wish you Happy Birthday

Pop

Sarah Joy said...

Thanks Pop! Love you too!