Advent devotion: Lights, Cords, and Wires - Oh My! - Psalm 116

Psalm 116:3    The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. 

I’ve just finished putting up our Christmas lights. Every year, I usually have to untangle the green wires and check the bulbs. It’s very time consuming, but last year I was very smart. I rolled the wires up carefully and checked the bulbs before I put them in a storage bag. I was determined not to go through the same tangled mess this Christmas.

But the best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley. When I tried the lights this year, only half of the cords were working. As I attempted to find the broken bulbs, the wires became tangled very quickly. Even with all of that careful packing and pre-planning, I was no better off. So I threw them all in the garbage and purchased new lights – lights that state on the box ‘if one goes out, the rest will stay on.’ I feel better about that, although there’s a question in my mind which is now bugging me: what happens if two lights go out?

When King David wrote about the cords of death entangling him, he was expressing his beliefs in a pre-Christian age. Death terrified David and his people because there was no hope of everlasting life. The Jews of David’s time believed that when death came, all of their souls went to Sheol, the land of shadows. Once there, it was only a matter of time before their spirits disappeared completely into oblivion.

We are New Testament people, so the cords of death can no longer entangle us completely. We have a hope in Jesus that will not die, nor will it be overcome by death. When we place our hopes, hearts, and beliefs in Him, we are saved forever. This is the good news of the gospel; this is the glad tidings of great joy that we will often hear about during Advent and Christmas.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your victory over death and dying. We cheerfully praise You for giving us the glorious opportunity of being reunited and restored to God after death. You are the One True and Living Savior. You are the Only Way to eternal life. In Your Holy Name, we happily pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s 2010 Winter series. It’s called “Gateway to Winter” and depicts the archway at Culzean Castle, one of Scotland’s beautiful places to visit. You can view a larger version of the drawing at http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/5171027888_a498cdcec5_b.jpg

4 Minute Devotions: Dealing with Death

Years ago, I saw a person actually die. He was a stranger to me, but both he and his daughter taught me an important faith lesson.

Podcast version here

Job 38:17 Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

It was the first time that I saw someone actually die and he was a stranger to me. I had just started as a part-time chaplain to a local hospital and received a call very early one Saturday morning.

“Can you come and help a patient’s family member?” a nurse asked. “She’s all on her own and has asked for a minister to be with her. Her dad is dying”

It took me about fifteen minutes to get ready. I was at the hospital within half an hour. A young woman was in a side room sitting next to her father’s bed. He was an old man that I had never seen in my life before. He looked tired and weary. She looked exhausted and frail.

“Thank you for coming, “she quietly said.” I just needed someone to be here. I didn’t want to do this on my own.”

We talked for a couple of minutes and I read some scripture. Time passed so slowly. Her father was breathing intermittently and the young woman clasped his hand. She told her dad that she loved him and once or twice she tenderly stroked his hair.

And then the moment came. His face slightly changed color and the breathing stopped. It was very peaceful. The young woman quietly sobbed. I read from Psalm 23 and said a soft, comforting prayer. She graciously thanked me for being there and then the nursing staff arrived to take care of the body. The young woman thanked me once more and allowed me to quietly leave. I never saw her again and to this day I do not know their names. But the woman and her father taught me a lesson: death does not need to be feared and dying can be very peaceful.

That’s why I’m still a minister today and it’s also why I preach the Good News. Jesus has defeated death and His great victory vanquishes all of our fears. Christ not only saw the gates of death; He took them apart forever. We may pass away but once on earth, but death no longer imprisons us, for Jesus has won our eternal freedom.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of our souls and the Deliverer from death. You grant us an everlasting opportunity to be reunited with our loved ones in the holy realms of God. We can never repay the immortal debt that we owe to You, but we will praise Your Name forever. Amen.