Hymn of the Month -- I Will Rise

Lately I've had to plan my weekend schedule around funerals and memorial services. An incredible number of folks have slipped away in the past few months, many of them being the parents of friends or people I may not have known personally but people who are close to people I care about.

Even though death is inevitable, I suppose we will never grow used to it. It's a terrific disrupter, this tearing from our hands and hearts people we love. Death is, indeed, an enemy.

Yet it is a defeated enemy. In Christ, death has lost its sting; it has lost its victory.

As followers of Christ, we do not grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We can face death -- our own as well as the death of those we love -- with the hope of seeing Jesus face to face and being made whole in His presence. We will be united with those who have died in Christ. We will be a part of the vast host who spends eternity in the presence of Jesus! 

Here are two videos of Chris Tomlin. The first one tells why he wrote "I Will Rise" and the second one is a live performance of the song. I share it today for those who are grieving. And I share it to remind us all that this life if not all there is. And even at its best, this life has nothing to compare with the joy of being in the presence of Jesus, our risen Savior.

This post is dedicated to the memory of friends who have recently risen. Vital and whole now you stand, in the very presence of Jesus. (It seems like I am missing some names, but these come to mind as friends who have passed away this summer):

Lorraine Koffler

Margie Legg

Sarah Norris

Patty Hussey

Eloine Beckwith

Ruth Burr

Gene Davidson

Barb Manke

Art Liddle

Gus Breitenbach