{"id":1872,"date":"2023-04-15T12:06:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-15T18:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/newgenerationsexplorefaith\/?p=1872"},"modified":"2023-04-15T12:06:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-15T18:06:43","slug":"celebration-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/newgenerationsexplorefaith\/2023\/04\/celebration-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebration of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

From a recent celebration of life. I spoke as the \u201creligious person.\u201d It was well received.<\/p>\n

Death is often with us and when it is we should take time to celebrate what that life meant to us. Rather than platitudes, which often lack comfort, we should be there for each other and talk about what each person meant to us.<\/p>\n

\"Celebration<\/p>\n

(Insert something personal and humorous.)<\/h2>\n

Intro<\/h2>\n

Jesus said, \u201cPeace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.\u201d<\/p>\n

We know what kind of peace the world gives: military force, police force, money, power. This isn\u2019t what Jesus was talking about. Jesus gave us hope for a better world, and hope for eternal life with God.<\/p>\n

(Insert personal remembrances of the person, a little humor, some reflections on a good heart.)<\/h2>\n

Weighed down<\/h2>\n

We wonder if when someone passes if we will see that person again and if they are in a better place. Yet we\u2019re weighed down by worry about things we have done that might have hurt others. Were our last words said in anger? Have we hurt someone badly? Are we worthy of being with God in a better place?<\/p>\n

In both the ancient Hebrew language and Greek language, the word for sin means missing the mark. It comes from an archery term essentially meaning missing the bulls eye on the target. We try to get it perfect but we fail.<\/p>\n

We look back at the story of Adam and Eve who were kicked out of their garden and then their son killed their other son and was expelled from their neighborhood, and with a mark on his forehead he was destined to walk alone and despised for his act of unworthiness. We all sometimes feel we have a mark on our forehead which tells everyone we\u2019re unworthy.<\/p>\n

There are different views of the Adam and Eve allegory in which the ancients tried to tell us something important about life. On the one hand many Christian denominations look at Eve feeding the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as original sin. We\u2019re all rotten apples and if we don\u2019t change we end up in a bad place.<\/p>\n

I know that in my case, my wife would have looked at some of the things I do and thought, \u201cI need to make this guy smarter. Here, eat this! And put some clothes on!\u201d I\u2019m sure I would have eaten it.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Jesus was a Jew and many Jews have a different take on this story. I\u2019m inclined to look seriously at what they feel this story represents. Their take is that Adam and Eve wanted to become better servants to God so getting the knowledge of good and evil would help them.<\/p>\n

I think there is merit to both interpretations. We all need to become better people. And we all can become better servants.<\/p>\n

I also think God knew all along they were going to eat the fruit and end up removed from that perfect garden to learn the hard way about good and evil. It\u2019s an experience lesson. God created us and knew that we crave knowledge and experience \u2013 it\u2019s built into our nature by God.<\/p>\n

Yes, we\u2019re going to do things that are wrong. We\u2019re also going to learn how to love others as ourselves. That\u2019s a life-long series of lessons with endless room for failure.<\/p>\n

Good News!<\/h2>\n

None of us are perfect. We try to hit the bulls eye and fail again and again. Jesus said to forgive seventy times seven. Rounding up that\u2019s five hundred times. If you\u2019re familiar with habit formation, you know that by forgiveness soon becomes a habit.<\/p>\n

Jesus didn\u2019t tell his apostles to take all 613 Jewish laws to non-Jews. He sent them with a simple message of the Good News of forgiveness. Jesus simply asks us to obey the law God has put in our hearts and to love each other.<\/p>\n

God has the supreme habit of forgiveness. If we try and miss, we\u2019re forgiven just for asking God directly.<\/p>\n

Those bad things we\u2019ve done don\u2019t need to weigh us down forever and make us feel unworthy. We\u2019re all God\u2019s children, created by God, and children are never perfect but we love them anyway. They are endlessly curious and they learn from their mistakes. We love, we try, we fail, we ask forgiveness, and we pick ourselves up and try again. And of course I not only miss the bulls eye, I miss the target entirely.<\/p>\n

The Kingdom is for all<\/h2>\n

The Kingdom of God is like a virtual space. It\u2019s here, now, and forever, for those who obey they law God has put in their hearts and try to love others. To get there we\u2019re simply asked to follow the example of love that Jesus showed us.<\/p>\n

Love as God loves. That\u2019s a tall order and we certainly will fail. But we\u2019re forgiven. It\u2019s a path of transformation from people who do a lot of things that are wrong to people who love others well.<\/p>\n

Jesus said, \u201c\u201cI am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.\u201d Through Jesus means the path that he showed us, which is obeying the law that is in everyone\u2019s heart and loving others.<\/p>\n

A place for us<\/h2>\n

Jesus said in John 14, \u201cIn My Father\u2019s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those who have had Near Death Experiences report that while they were dead they saw things a dying brain can\u2019t see, and can confirm that Jesus has prepared a uniquely wonderful place for each one of us where we will be near those people who have already passed.<\/p>\n

There are some grammar police I will likely hide from for all eternity.<\/p>\n

Celebrate<\/h2>\n

We will miss this departed friend terribly, but let\u2019s celebrate the life of this wonderful individual. If you\u2019ve ever been to New Orleans you\u2019ve probably seen the funeral processions in which people walk, sing, and dance in celebration of a life. They deserve to be celebrated.<\/p>\n

Leann Womack sang a beautiful song, I Hope You Dance<\/a><\/em>. I hope you can find it in your heart to dance in life, celebrating life. And leave here with a feeling of peace and hope that Jesus gave to us through his life and promise.<\/p>\n

Poem<\/h2>\n

(Perhaps read an appropriate and inspiring poem or song, or sing a song, or play music.)<\/p>\n

_____________________________________<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You might also enjoy my new podcast, Our Times today and tomorrow<\/a><\/em> and article series on Substack, which delves more deeply into a wide variety of topics with a spirituality focus. My Patheos articles (posts, whatever) will also become a podcast. (It takes a lot of work.)<\/p>\n

________________________<\/p>\n

The standard of belief and conduct for Christianity is love. God is love. We\u2019re asked to be like God.<\/p>\n

________________________<\/p>\n

If you find these articles intriguing, please consider joining the mailing list.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019ve challenged your thinking, I\u2019ve done my job.<\/p>\n

___________________<\/p>\n

Our answer is God. God\u2019s answer is us. Together we make the world better.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Dorian<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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