RELIGION: Death is not the End

Wm. Cullen Bryant penned these words in his poem....

"Thanatopsis" "So live, that when the summons comes to join the innumerable caravan, that moves to that mysterious realm, where each shall take his chamber in the silent halls of death -- thou go not, like the quarry slave at night, scourged to his dungeon but sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust -- approach thy grave, like one who wraps the drapery of his couch around him, and lies down to pleasant dreams."

The writer of Ecclesiastes, if living today, might say...

"There's a time to live and a time to die -- and a time to live again!" All this to declare that death is not the end!

There's a time to live! I've lived a long time; and in my lifetime, my world has ended many times. I attended a one-room school; that life ended with consolidation. I grew up listening to Gospel and Country music; that world came to an end with Rock and Roll. I remember when society revered the Bible and lived by high moral standards; then came Woodstock. I went to the encyclopedia for my information; Google ended that world. I grew up using rotary telephones and calculators; that world ended with iPods and Smart Phones. Each time my world died, I suffered pain and distress; but with faith and courage, I adapted to the new world and moved forward. That's why when death ends my physical life, I won't be surprised. I'll just accept it, make adjustments, and move on into the next phase of life -- just as I've done so many times before.

There's a time to die! Christians view death differently than others:

• Death has always been a possibility. Adam and Eve knew nothing of death; God withheld that from them.

• When Adam and Eve sinned, death became a reality. God could no longer hold back death from them. Death was the end result of sin and has become the natural ending of our physical existence.

• Death can be expected. Death comes to all of us, sooner or later.

• Death is not the end! Just as life as we knew it has ended multiple times before, death is no different -- we accept it, make the proper adjustments and move on into the next phase. Which will be heavenly, and will go on and on and on forever.

• We follow Jesus' example; He lived; He died; He rose again; He promised us eternal life in heaven.

And that's the Good News! Amen!

Don Kuehle is a retired United Methodist minister who lives in Jackson. Opinions expressed are those of the author.