Life happens. Death happens too.

And the dust returns to the earth as it was,

and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7

Dear Cooper:

Sorry I did not post for the last few days!

Saturday I attended a funeral for a boyhood friend (and a fellow pipe band drummer) who died suddenly last week. It was a sad day - a nostalgic day - it was a day for asking two of the biggest questions we tend to ask in this generation. First - what happens when we have breathed our last breath? Second - what is this life about? I say this without any particular authority - but in my experience it seems true - everyone has a sense that there is more to our lives than the joys, struggles, trials and victories that we experience between our births and deaths. Having this sense, those two big questions need answers and those answers should impact the way we live our lives.

For the Christian we know there is something more. For the Christian the answers to those big questions are centered on God, on His Love for us, on His desire to restore our relationship, and on His calling each of us to reveal Him to others in this world. For the Christian, this life is confessional, transformational and missional. We confess our faith. That faith changes who we are and how we live. Our changed life is given completely to God and His work.

So Cooper, I hope you are hearing echoes of things we have shared over the past few weeks! What I am saying is that in Baptism and in the Eucharist (Communion) you, your parents, your God-parents and your family are declaring that the answers to those big questions we have are found in Christ alone!

So Saturday I heard what was said and I watched what was done and it made me very sad. Is that it? Is that all there is? I thank God that I was not alone. Others confided that they had questions - their questions were not that different from those big questions of ours. They promised me that we would meet and talk - I will call them - but I know that as our sadness ebbs so too will our questions; as life happens, asking what happens next becomes less urgent. So, death still happens.

But for the Christian, death has no sting. In Christ we move from mortal life to life with Him. In Christ, we are born to life beyond death. In Christ we are restored to Life.

We will pick up again tomorrow. I do apologize for the gap in these letters.

Be blessed

t HE

Tuesday, January 24, 2017