Death & Resurrection
I "listened" (story on tape) to "Anne of Green Gables" this weekend, and I must agree with Anne's comment that the first composition of our thoughts are always much more poetical and splendid than the second time we attempt to recall them. But I will still make that attempt now to follow up on my thoughts on the "walk back to Grandma's house".
I must first explain that my theme of "Death & Resurrection" finds its source in an essay written by James Jordan in which he explains a pattern, started at Creation, which continues on in all of our lives. It is a pattern of deaths and resurrections. We see it first when Adam is put into a "deep sleep" in order for a rib to be taken from his side to create Eve. A deeper look into this pattern shows God "maturing" his people till they reach a point where they must die and then be resurrected in a more fit state, so to speak. Adam was not fit by himself to carry out the tasks God had given him, and once he could realize this he reached a point of death, and then a resurrected state in which he now had a companion, a helpmate, Eve; two united as one and now capable of carrying out God's mandates. This continues and gets a little more complicated when the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil enters; but even here, in sin, we see a death and a newly resurrected state for both Adam and Eve.
This evening I was recognizing this pattern being played out again in a young girl's life as she graduated from high school. A particular way of life she has known died today, and so it must; but the completion of her education was the "tool" officially handed to her today to carry on (in her newly resurrected state) into a new way of life with new responsibilities. It will occur again at her college graduation, when she becomes married, and when she bears children. It happened when she learned to walk, when she began school, when she started driving, and many times in between.
I saw today that some of these deaths come inevitably, at exact times in our lives; others come in "God's time" as He matures us; and still others we seem to bring on ourselves through sin just as Adam did to himself. I seemed to be able to think of personal examples of all of these. So then I wonder why? Why is it like this? It seems to me that God (even before the fall) had intended to mature us from our original state. It also speaks the gospel to us by playing out smaller, everyday examples of God's salvific and sanctifying work in us through Jesus Christ. And, I believe, these events should increase our anticipation and hope for the death that will ultimately lead us into our glorified states and constant, intimate union with our Lord.
I must first explain that my theme of "Death & Resurrection" finds its source in an essay written by James Jordan in which he explains a pattern, started at Creation, which continues on in all of our lives. It is a pattern of deaths and resurrections. We see it first when Adam is put into a "deep sleep" in order for a rib to be taken from his side to create Eve. A deeper look into this pattern shows God "maturing" his people till they reach a point where they must die and then be resurrected in a more fit state, so to speak. Adam was not fit by himself to carry out the tasks God had given him, and once he could realize this he reached a point of death, and then a resurrected state in which he now had a companion, a helpmate, Eve; two united as one and now capable of carrying out God's mandates. This continues and gets a little more complicated when the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil enters; but even here, in sin, we see a death and a newly resurrected state for both Adam and Eve.
This evening I was recognizing this pattern being played out again in a young girl's life as she graduated from high school. A particular way of life she has known died today, and so it must; but the completion of her education was the "tool" officially handed to her today to carry on (in her newly resurrected state) into a new way of life with new responsibilities. It will occur again at her college graduation, when she becomes married, and when she bears children. It happened when she learned to walk, when she began school, when she started driving, and many times in between.
I saw today that some of these deaths come inevitably, at exact times in our lives; others come in "God's time" as He matures us; and still others we seem to bring on ourselves through sin just as Adam did to himself. I seemed to be able to think of personal examples of all of these. So then I wonder why? Why is it like this? It seems to me that God (even before the fall) had intended to mature us from our original state. It also speaks the gospel to us by playing out smaller, everyday examples of God's salvific and sanctifying work in us through Jesus Christ. And, I believe, these events should increase our anticipation and hope for the death that will ultimately lead us into our glorified states and constant, intimate union with our Lord.
posted by Brian | 7:04 PM
1 Comments:
One question, which will probably turn into two: Within that framework, why are non-Christian people terrified of death? Why is death often referred to as "passing away"?
One comment, with each of the different phases (what do you call them?) you talked about your post, it seems that the mourning of these passing "lives" is important.
Seems like that could also help with the anti-Schiavo arguement that life is only worth living if it is a high quality life. Looking at our lives a string of "deaths and resurrections" helps to emphasize the importance of all life. Or not?
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