First Presbyterian Church      Rev. Michael J. Imperiale

Salt Lake City, UtahFebruary 5, 2006

“In Life and In Death: We Belong to God”

II Corinthians 4:6 – 5:1

Introduction

A writer for Time magazine said that we probably “spend more time getting ready for two weeks away than we will for our last two weeks on earth.” We make our plans as if we will live forever. And when death comes, even Christians have a sense that God has somehow failed us.

These past few weeks, we have been considering the life and biblical theology of John Calvin, the father of Presbyterian approaches to the Christian life and church. In his day, in the 1500s, death came soon, often, and unexpectedly. An accident with a horse, a sudden fever, an unpopular religious or political statement – it wouldn’t take much. Calvin lived to age 55 often experiencing his own constant physical pain (maybe that’s why he looked and acted so stern) and he witnessed the death of numerous friends and family members. For them, preparing for death was a normal and natural part of life. It was a time to write letters, give advice, say good-bye, reflect on the value of your life, distribute your belongings – and pray.

Our Reformed and Presbyterian confessions and creeds often articulate the presence of both life and death as an experience of faith. The Heidelberg Catechism of 1563 asks the question, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” The answer: “That I belong – body and soul, in life and in death – not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil.” The Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1647 asks, “What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?” Answer: “The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.” And our most recent American Presbyterian statement of faith begins, “In life and in death we belong to God.”

The subject of death is an uncomfortable one for us in the 21st century. We are shielded from its reality, its constant presence, and learning how to deal with it through the professions of medicine, nursing and hospice care and through the institutions of hospitals, care facilities, and mortuaries. Yet, as cynic George Bernard Shaw noted, “The statistics on death are quite impressive – one out of one people die.” Children also muse about the idea and wondering of death. Seven year old Alan said, “God doesn’t tell you when you are going to die because he wants it to be a big surprise.” Stephanie, age 9, said, “Doctors help you so you won’t die until you pay all their bills.”  And Marsha hopes that “When you die, you don’t have to do your homework in heaven – unless your teacher is there too.”

Needless to say, the Bible has very much to say about life and death and about how God wants us to understand and live with faith and hope. II Corinthians 4 is one of many passages that reflect on the gift of life and the meaning of death.

I. The Treasure of Life in Christ (vs. 4:6 & 5:1)

“It all started,” writes the apostle Paul, “when God said, ‘Light up the darkness!” Our hearts filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus gives us the best picture of God we’ll ever get… And we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven – God-made, not human-made – an eternal home in heaven.”

Paul’s confidence, Calvin’s confidence and our confidence is found in the reality of God’s glory demonstrated in our lives by the grace, love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Notice the striking contrast between the god of this age and the God of creation, the blindness in the minds of unbelievers and the light of Christ in our hearts. They cannot see the light of the gospel, but that light has been given to us. God’s power and glory in the transformation of our minds, hearts, bodies, and lives are not mere theological abstractions but realities to be experienced by faith in Christ.

Compare the quip of a Woody Allen of our day: “It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Compare that to the famous poem by John Donne: “Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful… One short sleep past, we wake eternally, and Death shall be no more: Death, thou shalt die.” This is the confidence that the Lord wants each of us to hold in life and in death.

II. The Limits of This Life (vs. 7-9)

But Paul and Calvin were also realists. And so must we be. “We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives.” These earthen vessels experience being “hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down.” This human life with all its hopes, dreams, accomplishments, and successes has limits. You and I are going to die. There is no escaping it. Who hasn’t heard of the two inevitable facts: death

and taxes. I’m just glad that death doesn’t get worse every time the legislature meets!

Trusting in Jesus Christ is meant to help us through the difficult times as well as celebrate the good ones. Paul writes how the life of Jesus makes the difference. But we are “not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, not destroyed.” Spiritual conversion and life transformation is not just putting two and two together and making right decisions. It is by an encounter with the living God that we men and women are created anew by Jesus. That’s why we call him Redeemer, Savior, Lord. Jesus the Way, the Truth, the Life. He is our Deliverer, our Salvation.

In the face of difficulties in life and the struggles of death, we realize just how limited we are in and of ourselves.

III. Do Not Lose Heart (vs. 16-18)

Paul urges us as does Calvin in his letters and writings. “We do not lose heart. We’re not going to give up. Though outwardly we are wasting away – falling apart, inwardly we are being renewed day by day – God is making a new life. There’s more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today and gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

Imagine you are attending your own memorial service, your own funeral. What kinds of things do you want people to say about you, about your life, about your relationships, about your faith? According to this passage, God has created his people as eternal beings. We live here for a while in temporary housing: bodies as fragile as a clay jar or a tent. But this era of “camping out” prepares us for eternity. In Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection, death cannot cripple love or corrode faith. In Christ our Lord, death will not eat away peace, destroy confidence, or silence courage. It will not kill a friendship or shut out memories. For the Christian, death cannot crush the soul, quench the spirit or lessen the power of the resurrection.

In life and in death we belong to God. It is with this confidence that we come to the Table of the Lord. Remembering the life of Jesus, we remember that ours is found in him. Remembering the death of Jesus, we remember his sacrifice for us that we might live in the glory of his love. Remembering the Resurrection of Jesus, we come to the table with the great and living hope of eternal life with the Lord and the family of God.

“This is the joyful feast of the people of God…”