During the past couple of decades, we have made several significant advances for the prolonging of life. Perhaps the most spectacular have been the dramatic heart operations. Heart repair, insertion of artificial values, and heart transplants have given new hope, and indeed new life to men and women who otherwise would have been doomed to a premature death.

We have learned a great deal about life and about how to prolong it. But everything we do will remain a little hopeless so long as we continue to be hounded by the horror of the grave and death. Though we are glad that we have learned how to control life and how to prolong it in new ways, we must admit that there is still one force in our world that we can do nothing about. That is the force of death.

In spite of all our new surgical techniques and in spite of all our new preventive procedures, death still stands there, unmoved, and essentially unchanged. It may have to wait just a little longer before we finally surrender to its relentless power, but surrender we will.

With all our joy about the delays we are able to make because of new medical discoveries, the truth is that we haven=t really won very much so long as the reality of death still sits there waiting for us at the end of the road.

If only there was some way we could break through the fear barrier when it comes to death itself. If only we could look our grim enemy squarely in the eye and say, "I'm not afraid of you, you can never harm me." If only we could come to that point, there would be a relief greater than the relief that a heart patient feels when he discovers that he can breathe freely and walk confidently once again because a new heart pumps in his chest.

To be able to face death without fear; that is the greatest gift of all. Medical science cannot help us attain it, for most doctors bow out just at that moment when the eyelids are pulled down over the unseeing eyes and the sheet is pulled up over the setting face. The only way to be fearless in the face of death is to follow the one man who died without any fear in his heart. That was Jesus. For Him, dying, in the end was like stepping through an open door into victory and joy. Death without fear - what a priceless gift that is. It=s more valuable than a borrowed heart that can only put death off for a few years, at best. Death without fear - those who follow Jesus through the door of death can experience the full victory of it.

Let us listen to the gospel of Luke where the record of Jesus' last words and of his actual death have been carefully preserved. This is what Luke says in the 23rd chapter of his book, verses 44 to 46. It was not about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

There are a couple of things to notice in Luke's report. First, of all, Jesus' strength was still quite strong when he died. So, he wasn=t overpowered by death, he went out to meet it courageously. And second, there was no terrifying mystery about death for him; he knew what it meant going from that flesh and blood body that hung on the cross and entering into the presence of his father. For him, death meant simply entrusting himself to his Father in heaven.

The good news for us in all of this is that we can experience the same thing Jesus did; we can face death without fear ourselves, if we believe that he suffered and died for us on Calvary's cross.

Death without fear; this is more precious than all the ways we have found to make life linger on a little while longer. Once we have conquered the fear of death, our lives take on new strength and purpose and we are to live with new courage.

May we be able to say with Jesus, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

Sincerely,


Floyd McPhee