Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives!

This Bill Gaither song has meant a lot to me for many years…

I learnt about the birth, life, love, death and resurrection of Jesus as a small child. It has stayed with me throughout my life constantly teaching, encouraging, challenging, inspiring, comforting me.

It starts with the humble birth of a baby… involves parables, miracles and lessons of life… includes pain, death and apparent tragedy… ends with life and joy and hope.

And then one day, I’ll cross the river,
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives!

In 2021 a number of friends died. I’ve thought more, talked more, about death.

Yesterday was Desmond Tutu’s funeral. In the eulogy President Cyril Ramaphosa said:

‘Tears are sometimes an inappropriate response to death. When a life has been lived completely honestly, completely successfully, or just completely, the correct response to death’s perfect punctuation mark, is a smile…’

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

My brother Chris has cancer. Yesterday he wrote of his current chemotherapy treatment:

‘Unfortunately my body is not reacting at all positively. As perhaps never before , my life is in the hands of the Lord. It is very possible that by next Christmas I will have changed address for that of my heavenly home.’

Chris remains positive… Because He Lives…

Yesterday’s musing… I go into 2022 one step at a time resolving to ‘find the hand of God’, walking with him, embracing the unknown darkness not with fear or anxiety but with confidence and hope.