Years ago a pastor friend told me about getting a call from a member who had just received a terminal diagnosis. He wanted a visit, as soon as possible. My pastor friend went right away, expecting to talk about the meaning of death and grieving the new diagnosis. Instead, this person said they felt capable of facing death, they felt peaceful that God had already saved them, but their question was, “How do I live?”
With death all around us, how do we live?
It’s a question I’ve come back to many times since COVID arrived in our world. How do we
live? How do we do all the good we can, while fully living the life God has given us?
This is not a new question for humanity, in fact, we deal with a lot less death than folks did in the ancient world. Children were not even named until they were 8 days old because infant mortality was so common. Plagues wiped out whole villages. Freak accidents often resulted in death.
Living to 70 years old was rare. Death was a regular part of life.
But God is a God of life. They also were figuring out how to live with death all around them.
It can be tempting to go to extremes: hide from risk completely, or to totally ignore the risk and take no precautions. Neither is living fully. Full life is courageous, goodhearted, and honest.
Faithful living values of the lives of ourselves and every other person whom God loves. And
faithful living also calls us to service and connection.
Join us this Sunday for worship at 9:30 am. We have chairs waiting or bring your own.
— Pastor Mia
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