In the last few days we have seen the passing of the former Jehovah Witness - the King of Pop -Michael Jackson. His death was framed by the passing of Ed McMann and Farrah Fawcett, a former pin up that found herself on the wall of many a young man in my youth. It is amazing that such icons can go just like that.
As I drive down the street of the community I live in the flags are at half mast. Not for Michael, Farrah or Ed, but to remember an East Peoria native,one of our fallen heroes, who died in Afghanistan last week. He was a true hero.
In the paper this morning it was reported that one of my brother Lutheran pastors went through a horrible night last night. His 17 year old daughter died in a one car accident just 10 miles away from here.
The newspaper also reported this week that rescue workers have just found the body of the the pilot of the Air France flight which went down in the ocean a few weeks ago.
Are you seeing the picture of what the world would like us to forget? The fact that death is still very much a hard part of people's lives. Very few of us spend much time thinking about death's global control. We are too easily caught up in the glamor and lights of life.
In the men's Bible study this morning the subject of death also came up. Not because of the recent world reports or the tragic death of a young 17 year old lady. It came up because we were talking about how Peter prepared for his own death. He lived with a sense that he was okay with his own mortality.
To live with the vision that life is fragile, life is temporary, but that life is wonderful is the way I want to live. That takes courage. Courage I don't really have yet.
Life is beautiful and fragile and should be lived as a joy. It is easy to find the wonder of life in normal everyday events and in many people. When I read the Gospel stories of Jesus I see His love for world, the beauty in it and in life itself.
The fact that life is temporary should help us to remember to not take it for granted. Many grouchy, over sensitive people tend to take life for granted. Being unable to forgive is easy to do when we believe that life is permanent.
Jesus makes a lot of sense when He tells us to look at and enjoy the many beautiful things we can see and hear in this life. However, these are fleeting by their nature and will surely be supassed in the life that is yet to be revealed.
This is all made possible because He has died and risen again. It is suppose to give us courage to live on in this beautiful and fragile world. I am not there yet.
How about you? Can you honestly face and embrace the incredible gift every day, knowing it is like the morning dew that will pass away in time?
Tell me how you do that. I really want to know.