TO DIE IN THE LORD

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.’”  (Revelation 14:13 NRSV)

Several older women were having lunch together in a café.  They were discussing how they wanted to die.  One lady said, "I want to die in Arizona.  I've always loved the climate, and when I go I hope it's there."  Another lady quickly responded, "Not me!  I want to die right here at home.  I want my family close by."  A third lady said, "I'd like to die in the spring.  Just one last look at the flowers, you know."  The fourth lady said, "Me?  I should like to die in Hawaii having a fling and spending my last nickel."  Finally, the last lady took her turn.  "When I die," she said, "I want to pass away in the Lord. In Florida, in Arizona, in the spring of the year, all is of little consequence.  But to die in the Lord, that is Paradise!" 

How about you?  Which way do you want to die?  Rich or poor, here or there, suffering or in your sleep – all that is ultimately of little consequence.  But to die in the Lord, that is happiness. 

-- Rev. Keith Schroerlucke in a sermon entitled "When Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow"

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