Into That Good Night
Death is not a friend but neither is it an enemy. Death is what we make of it.
Into That Good Night
A haunting line of poetry keeps repeating itself on my TV. It's a commercial, (I couldn't even tell you what it is advertising), but I know the line well. It is from a 70 year old poem by Dylan Thomas and it’s starts with the line, “Do not go gentle into that good night."
I learned that line a long time ago but it took me a while to learn that Thomas was writing about death. The opposing line of the poem is, "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
The poem is about how we face death and on what terms we accept it. The truth is, many people seem to not care at all about the joy that life offers and they have no fear of the emptiness and sorrow that death brings.
I have seen life in all of its stages. I have watched births, officiated graduations, presided over marriages, celebrated retirements and sat with the aged at their moment of death. Death is both agonizing and beautiful. I have been at the bedside of those who died well and I have watched those who "rage, rage.”
Death is not a friend but neither is it an enemy. Death is what we make of it. It is inescapable for every one of us and when we are faced with death - ours or that of a loved one - it's good to remember what the Bible says about it.
The Apostle Paul tells us that we will be able to face death one day, but we can face it as a conquering victor, not fighting and kicking against our last days. He writes:
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
As a pastor, I try to explain to people that life is a journey with a destination. The goal is to reach the end of this life as a conqueror, not a defeated foe.
What is your destination? How are you going to get there? Jesus promises glorious victory! I have hopped on that train and I am bound for the Promised Land with joy and victory as my companions.
That’s a great feeling!
