We ignore the certainty of death

Death is all around us.

Famous actors, song-writers, politicians and former sports stars have their obituaries written in glowing terms.

Death is all around us.

Huge numbers die unnoticed when the media move on from Myanmar or the Mediterranean.

Death is all around us.

We see horrifying pictures of hurricanes and earthquakes in central America. Even the natural world is not a safe place to live in.

Death is all around us.

However hard we try to ignore it, we grow older day by day, as a GP reminded me yesterday when explaining a minor ailment.

And then we reach the point where we stop hearing stories about death and become the story ourselves. The end.

Or perhaps, instead, the beginning. But not of a hopelessly optimistic belief that denies the reality.

Local churches teach that Christians have what the Bible calls ‘hope’, meaning a certainty of life with Jesus Christ, because of his resurrection, for all those who trust in his death and follow him as disciples.

Dying may well be a painful process to be feared, but death itself holds no terror for the Christian.

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here