Christian Reflection and Prayer

"Home Where We Belong"

 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal
puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is
written: "Death is swallowed up in victory. 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. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

Occasionally, I have run into a Christian who is afraid of dying.
To assist them I have shared these stories.

Years ago, a young boy was dying, and he also was afraid. To calm
his fears, his mother explained: "Dear, do you remember when you
were a little boy how you used to play so hard that when night came
you would fall asleep on the couch, or on the floor, or on the back
seat of the car?"

Yes, he remembered that.

Mother continued, "Those places were not your bed. They were not
where you belonged. In the morning, much to your surprise, you
would wake up and find yourself in your own bed and in your own
room. You were there because your father had come and taken you
to where you belonged."

"Honey," mom continued, "death is just like that. We are tired and
we fall asleep in a place that isn't home. Then we wake up and find
ourselves in another place, a place where we belong. That's because
Jesus has come, and with hands that were once pierced by nails,
has taken us to our own room."

The boy's shining, trusting face showed he understood, and the fear
was gone. He never questioned again, and several weeks later he
fell asleep just as his mother had said. At that moment Jesus came
and took him home where he belonged. There was no one else who
could have done that -- no one else.

That story lets us know that, in Jesus, there is hope: certain hope.
We no longer need to mark the passing of the years with wistful
sighs and wishes that something might happen to delay our dying.
That's because something has already happened to abolish death.

That is why I can tell you that as surely as Christ is risen from the
dead, your loved ones in the Lord will also rise; as will you. The
miracle of life has happened. Recovery has been complete. This is
the glory of the resurrection Gospel that when the earthly outlook
is dimmest, heavenly hope is brightest, and where defeat seems
most final, the victory of Christ is most glorious.

All of this means our thinking and our talking can be changed. And
if you're wondering how it's changed, let me tell you about a little
girl whose baby brother had just died. She asked her mother where
the baby had gone.

"To be with Jesus," replied the mother. A few days later, talking to
a friend, the mother said, "I am so empty without my lost baby."

The little girl heard and, remembering what her mother had told her,
came over and asked, "Mother, is a thing lost when you know
where it is?"

"No, of course not."

"Well, then how can the baby be lost when we know he is with
Jesus?"

Her mother never forgot; nor should you. Our loved ones, and
someday we, ourselves, will not be lost. We all will be with Jesus.

THE PRAYER:

 Dear Lord, because of Jesus, the sting of death has been removed.
Grant that my fears of death may be eliminated, and I may always
enjoy the peace of mind and heart that comes from believing in
Jesus as my Savior and Lord. In His Name I pray. Amen

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)