Reflections on Death and Eternity

John 14:1-3 says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, trust also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” 

As many of you know my wife and family lost their beloved Grandfather this past week and this passage was read at the funeral. Whenever I hear this passage I am reminded of the large Hotel Lakeside which is a beautiful, wooden hotel that is stately and magnificent in structure. I remember as a boy leafing through the Hotel registry looking for famous names like former President Grover Cleveland (if I remember correctly!)

I remember being in awe of this beautiful building…and yet it is made out of wood and brick and stone. Thankfully this hotel is still standing. But there are many hotels, like the ones in our former seaside town of Magnolia, Massachusetts, that are no longer standing. Fire claimed these wooden structures as victims and they are nothing but a distant memory, or picture, or postcard of the past.

But this passage in the book of John in the New Testament offers us hope that we can reside in a permanent place, the house of God himself. Making a decision to have a personal relationship with Jesus, whose death on the Cross and resurrection on Easter, makes it possible for us to reserve a room in God’s grand and eternal home. Unlike a hotel which is a temporary residence for a vacation, God’s home is his, and our, eternal dwelling place. We can reside with God forever!

The death of a loved one, like our Grandfather, reminds us that life is short, fleeting and fragile. What better way to honor him than to reflect on and celebrate his life. And indeed, that is what we did! We had an incredible time in the hospital as the 15 of us each got to hold his hand, pray with him, read scripture, sing songs, say goodbye and praise God for his life. We were walking on holy ground and it was a privilege to be there with him as he breathed his last and went to be with Jesus. 

And what better way to honor him than to reflect on and celebrate the lives God has given each of us. What legacies will we leave behind? What would we want to have said about us at our memorial service? What types of eulogies and obituaries will others write about us?

The death of a loved one, most importantly, reminds us to reflect on what will be our permanent home for eternity. 

Have you made a reservation in God's eternal hotel? 

Jesus said to John in the book of Revelation, "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. ... Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" (Rev. 1:17-18; 3:19-20).