Death, Where is Your Sting?
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
We are so good at pretending, and there is nothing we can ignore better than death. Contemporary, secular society has denied the reality of death’s present existence. In his book On Death, Timothy Keller points out, “The average family in the United States in colonial times lost one out of every three children before adulthood.” Death was a constant reality. With death always knocking at the door, young and old alike were familiar with death’s dark sting. Further, there were no hospitals, funeral homes, or nursing homes. Everyone lived, suffered, and died at home, receiving support from the rest of the family and community. The community gathered at each stage in the process of death and dying is no longer a reality.
Keller continues, “The hiddenness of dying in modern society means that we of all cultures live in denial of the inexorably of our impending death.” Yet, deny as we might, death will come a ‘knocking for all of us. Rather than ignore the inevitable, we should all be inviting death into our conversations and present reality. It is unfair to leave our children unaware until death punches them in the gut with the loss of a loved one. In the moment of death, trying to provide support is too overwhelming. While everyone is feeling safe, sharing the reality of death and our hope through Jesus Christ is our best opportunity.
Our churches are called to teach people how to grieve with hope. Jesus wept over Lazarus’s death but then raised him from death to life anew. We need to share personal hope. While our bodies die, like Jesus, we will follow Jesus with bodily resurrection. It is essential to affirm to others that we are not ghosts after death. We will recognize our loved ones and ourselves. In some manner, our uniqueness, our personality, will continue. Yet, it will be our best selves that continue for eternity.
Today, commit to stop ignoring the reality of death. Be courageous and remember your experiences of death throughout your life. Then, go to the Bible and find some passages like 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4, John 14, and Revelation 21, and read them with an eye on God’s promise for us. We are eternally blessed. We do not deserve it, but through the love of God, we are invited to be with God for all time. With this blessed knowledge, we can face death without the same level of fear. “Death, where is thy sting?”
