Say What?

"O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?"  [1 Corinthians 15:55]

I read those words yesterday afternoon, sitting beside a man being kept alive by all kinds of life-support equipment. What audacity! Mocking our great enemy death and defying it, even as it was taking the life of one of my dear sheep. But that is the confidence we have in Christ. Even at such moments of sadness, we have great confidence in Christ's resurrection and victory over death. That monster did not win yesterday, life did. THE Life did. Christ did. Mike's baptism was fulfilled and he was taken home. Yesterday, Mike did not live a life that ended in death - he died a death that ended in life.

And so we sang yesterday, too. A lot. What wonderful comfort is in our hymns! We talked about which to sing at his funeral and came up with a list of about 20! All of which proclaimed Christ's victory over death - His victory that is our victory in Holy Baptism. Including this one:

Death, you cannot end my gladness:

I am baptized into Christ!

When I die, I leave all sadness

To inherit paradise!

Though I lie in dust and ashes

Faith's assurance brightly flashes:

Baptism has the strength divine

To make life immortal mine.  [LSB #594 v. 4]

One last thing, Saturday, September 29th, is the commemoration of St. Michael and All Angels. How cool a day would that be to have our Michael's funeral on? And to read these words: "And they have conquered him [satan] by the blood of the Lamb . . . " [Revelation 12:11]

Thanks be to God!