I’m privileged to sit with people and their families as they die. I sometimes have people ask me if it’s depressing. “No,” I’ll say. “I’m sad, but I’m honored to bring Christ’s death and resurrection to people who are scared and hurting. When you face death, Christ is the only hope we have.”
Facing death also means putting life in perspective. Is it worth getting upset about being overcharged $1.50 at the grocery store or getting cut off in traffic? Does it matter if our rabbit ears don’t get all the TV channels or the internet is slow? How important is that somebody never apologized? Death puts all these in perspective and raises the question: how do we live a good life?
Lent—the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, not counting Sundays—is a time to face death (Christ’s and our own), which leads us to focus on what’s really important: relationships with God and each other. This is the point when we read Bible passages such as “one does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut 8:3). When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replies with the double-sided commandment of loving God and loving neighbor (Matt 22:37-39). Caring relationships are what humanity needs. Simplifying life helps focus on that.
Harvard University has been tracking a group of people and their descendants for the last 84 years and just published a book called The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. They found, “[I]t's not career achievement, or exercise, or a healthy diet. Don't get us wrong; these things matter (a lot). But one thing continuously demonstrates its broad and enduring importance: ... Good relationships keep us healthier and happier. Period" (p. 10).
A life that invests time and energy into relationships isn’t easy. As the researchers point out, “it includes turmoil, calm, lightness, burdens, struggles, achievements, setbacks, leaps forward, and terrible falls. And the good life always ends in death” (p. 3)
It’s a bit funny to read sentences that Jews and Christians have been saying since the author of Leviticus wrote what Jesus quoted: “love your neighbor.” “[S]cience tells us that your choice should be to cultivate warm relationships. Of all kinds [including friends, family, co-workers, neighbors].... it’s not a choice that you make only once, but over and over again, second by second, week by week, and year by year...” (p. 10). The authors ask: why not start today prioritizing listening and caring for the people around you?
Humanity faces many enormous problems, including the rise of authoritarianism, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, water shortages, climate disasters, earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, $31 trillion in national debt, and whatever may be coming next. What these researchers have found, and we have long known, is that what gets is through those tough, even terrible, times is quality relationships.
Focusing on relationships is what Lent is all about. This season, you’re invited to the 40-40-40 challenge, which is to daily try to do three of four things for the 40 days before Easter: (a) devote, (b) donate, (c) de-clutter, and (d) discipline. Register and find out more at https://communications9676.wixsite.com/synodlentchallenge
Whatever you, do it freely knowing that God has sent Jesus so you have an eternal relationship with the Creator of the Universe!
Glad to be in relationship with you,
Pastor Peter
