Death, Ressurection, and longing for heaven

It has been a tough month.

After the excitement of Oliver's birth, a week later Tim's last remaining Grandparent, his Pa, passed away.  It wasn't a shock (he's been in and out of hospital all summer), and it was a bit of a relief (he had just had a paralysing stroke), but it was still a very sad time.

His funeral particularly was very emotional.  While it was filled with joy over his life and the knowledge that he was with Jesus, there was so much other meaning behind it.  17 months earlier I had sat in the same Funeral home at Tim's Nana's funeral.  Tim's Nanny and Papa were there, and it was the last proper conversation I had with them before they died, 3 months later.  And, while I didn't know it for certain at the time, I was actually pregnant during her funeral, with the baby we would say goodbye to only 7 weeks later.

It has been a really rough 18 months.  Eighteen Months of Death.

So, as yesterday we celebrated Easter, I couldn't help thinking of what a miracle it is.

That there was a man, who was more than just a man.  That this man was so innocent and powerful that death could not beat him.  A man who now has power over death.  A man who promises that just as he was raised from death, so all who believe in him will rise.

Sitting at Pa's funeral, knowing that his race was run, knowing that he had gone to be with the savior that he loved and followed for so long, it is a great thing.  I almost felt a little jealous.

And during such tough times as these, what a great thing it is to know that death is mealy a small sleep on the way to eternity with Jesus.
Thank you Jesus for Easter.
BG

Random Observations of this week

This week I did a kids talk for Easter, and as part of it we had a Humpty Dumpty Egg "Fall" off a wall and smash on the ground. One of the toddlers burst into tears. We couldn't work out if he was sad because Humpty "died", if he was just in shock, or if he was upset because he wasn't allowed to eat it!

I've been really admiring the various families around me at church and the hard work they put into teaching their kids about Jesus. Easter really makes it hit home- as parents think of creative ways of helping the kids understand the story. And our Sunday School teachers are also doing a fabulous job. I'm so impressed by how well even the little kids are doing at remembers that Easter is about Jesus and not chocolate! One of the kids was showing me the "resurrection" eggs they had used in the 3-5 yo class.
I pointed to the picture of the tomb.
"What's that".
"That's where they put Jesus"
"Then what happened"
"He came back to life on the three day!"

Today I went to a funeral of a man from church. The talk was based around the verse in Psalm 90 "Teach us to number our days aright, so we might grow in wisdom". For the first time in my life- I felt that death was not that far away. Even if I live another 50 odd years- that is nothing in terms of eternity. Time is short. I really want to make it count.

One of the women I spoke to at the funeral said to me afterwards "When I was a little girl, I was so scared of death. Now I see it as not a bad thing at all. I'm not afraid. I have hope."

I've never seen such a stoic, content widow at a funeral before. And not because he wasn't dear to her, and not because she wouldn't miss him. She was just so happy that he was out of pain and with Jesus.

Death was on my mind alot this week. But so was the Resurrection. And hope.
love B