In Light of the Gospel

The more I face trials and suffering and loss in this world, the more it becomes obvious to me that one of the most significant roles of the church is to prepare people for death. The gospel, the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection for us, really comes home to us when we face death. Of course we must grow and live in light of the gospel throughout our life, but it is even true that the most immature and young Christian can face death confidently with the power of the gospel.

This week my family and I traveled to Chattanooga. We were going to come for Thanksgiving, but we had to make an early trip. We left Sunday morning after I preached. My grandfather, who is 83 years old, had a biopsy for cancer last week. Near the end of the week, his health started to deteriorate. My wife and I loaded up the kids and made it in time on Sunday night to see him.

Monday he was able to get up and around more than he had for a few days. He sat with me at the table and we talked. After lunch we received the call from the doctor that confirmed our fears: granddad did indeed have cancer, and it was not good. That afternoon, his wife and three daughters (one of them my mother) gathered around him as we explained what the doctor said.

Granddad sat there and didn’t say much. I think it is important in a moment like that to let the person think and allow the conversation to sit on us, but we often cannot bear the weight of that moment. After a while, granddad got up to sit at the table with us, and he talked about how long he had lived, about his family, and about his life.

He eventually became too tired to sit up anymore, so we put him to bed. After everyone left the room, I took a moment to pray for him: for strength and for faith, for confidence in the face of death. After I finished praying, he told me how thankful he was that the Lord saved a wicked person like him. He has only been a baptized Christian for 8 years. He talked about how the Lord had always taken care of him and granny and the family, even when he didn’t acknowledge God’s blessing, and he trusts the Lord now in the face of death.

Late last night he passed from this life into the next, and he is with Jesus now. I miss him. He brought great joy into my life and the life of my kids, and they miss him too. But we have hope; we have a hope that cannot be taken away from the curse of this world. That hope is in the gospel. When we sit there beside those we love, and we are looking at death, the only comfort we have is the gospel. We simply forget that it is also the only comfort we have in every moment of our life.