Life Beyond Death

"The people who walk in darkness will see a bright light. The light will shine on those who live in the land of death’s shadow.” Isaiah 9:2 GW

A dark shadow has been hanging over the whole world in the year 2020 as the COVID 19 pandemic rages on. The grim reality of death has touched many lives in the past year. Although I am acquainted with death in my work as a palliative physician, death came up close and personal this year as I mourn the deaths of a nephew in law, an uncle in law, an aunt and three dear friends. With the specter of COVID 19, Advent 2020 is a time to reflect on the precious comfort and forgiveness of God:

“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1-‬2 NLT

In the second beatitude, Jesus assures us that we will have God’s comfort when we are living in the kingdom of heaven here and now:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4 NKJV)

In the midst of the pandemic, it is timely to confront our fears about death and dying. Our fears drive us to seek the meaning of life. The good news is that the light of Christ is shining on us as we live in the land of death’s shadow. Death is but the dawn of eternal life. And we have peace of mind when Jesus is our Shepherd of Love guiding us through the valley of the shadow of death:

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

We will all face losses in life sooner or later. Our human nature leads us to respond with anger when we are attached to what we have lost. We may feel guilty when our loss is a result of our actions. Sometimes our loss lead us to be fearful of our future. The good news is that through the Holy Spirit we can mourn our losses by bringing our anger, guilt and fears to the Lord:

“For the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments  and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4‭-‬5 NET

Sin and death are the weeds that choke the seed of God’s love in our hearts. Jesus came to set us free from our slavery to sin and the fear of death:

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.” Hebrews 2:14‭-‬15 NLT

When we are separated from God by sin, we see and feel our losses as God’s punishment and we feel condemned as sinners. But as a child of God, our losses in life are transformed into experiences of God’s discipline. As a child of God, we do not feel condemned but we are convicted by our need for God’s discipline and for more of God’s grace. Weeping may last for the night but joy comes in the morning (Psalms 30:5) as we rest in the power of Christ’s resurrection.

In her book, “The Gospels Speaks,” Dorothy Lee reminds us of the good news - that “Jesus gives a life beyond - though contiguous with - that of nature; this life now transcends death. It is life in the midst of death and life on the other side of death: life in spite of death.” The forces of death have been overthrown by the power of the resurrection of Christ and we can have a foretaste of eternal life in the here and now. 

Sarah Randall, a writer of an Upper Room devotional, shared her experience of identifying with God and knowing that Jesus understood her every feeling and had given His life for her. This led her to get outside of herself and to learn to “see” Jesus as her Shepherd leading her, to “feel” the Holy Spirit refilling her each day, to hear God through a verse of Scripture or through a friend’s words, and to “see” God in everything around her and in nature.

Our human mind tempts us to question the Scriptures. But such an attitude only generate futile and fruitless discussions. We need the Holy Spirit to convict our hearts by the Word of God - to experience the “truest” forgiveness which comes from understanding the nature of sin and to see the truth that those who have been forgiven much will love much (Luke 7:47). Let us hunger and thirst for God’s Word so that we can truly appreciate and celebrate Christmas with grateful joy and anticipation as we sing, “Joy to the World”:

“No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found”