a friend of ours passed away a few days ago. she had been ill for about a year and was to have a couple of surgeries that might have enabled her to live longer. before the operations could take place, she had a hemorrhage that brought her life to an end. my wife and i attended her funeral service in a local funeral home. she was well-loved in the community, as indicated by the large number who were present.
the minister who officiated at the funeral spoke of the example she had set for others, of her great love for her family, and of her years of teaching young children in church. the main thrust of his remarks was the "rightness" of her beliefs that would enable her to spend an eternity in heaven where she would be reunited with her husband and other loved ones. he urged any of those present who had not made a "decision for jesus" to make such a commitment, lest they miss out on heaven.
i left the funeral home troubled by what he had said. i wanted to hear him tell us how her dedication to the teachings of jesus had made her the beloved person that she was. i can't share his certainty in what comes after this life ends. no one can know what happens after death except to know that the person who has died ceases to exist as we know them. we don't follow jesus out of a selfish desire to live in an eternal heaven after we die. we follow him because his teachings compel us to live a meaningful life of service to others.
may we live life in the now, not in a pie-in-sky hope of heaven. may we love, not because doing so will give us a key to paradise, but because it is the best way to live. may we live the best life we can each moment without worrying about whether we've adopted the right beliefs to get us into heaven. shalom.
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