Meditation on (Death) LIFE

Ecclesiastes 2:14-16, 3:18-21, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Solomon contemplated his life and the meaningless of everything. One of the observations he made is that we all share the same fate, DEATH. Death comes to us all. Death is the true equal opportunity. It is not a respector of wealth, or social status. . Rich man, poor man, beggar, thief, they all die. Man, woman, child, gender doesn't matter. Eighty, forty, twenty, ten or one, DEATH does not care how old we are. Wise or foolish, as Solomon says, share the same fate. 

Another Look at Vines

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Scriptures: Ephesians 4:1-16, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Roman‘s 12:7-31, John 15:1-12

         Ever since Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the door at Wittenberg and the reformation began the list of denominations has grown.  The Pilgrims and then the Puritans split from the Church of England to become our forefathers in America.  Today you can not name the number of different churches, at least I can't.  Yet we are witnessing a great unification of the Christian body in the past few years.  New dialogs have began between the Protestant churches and the Vatican.  On the local level ministers meet for prayer meeting.  Churches get together for World Day of Prayer.  Our youths go to conventions with other youths from other churches and our men go to become Promise Keepers.

Based on a true story ...
There was once a big turntable bridge, which spanned a large river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river parallel with the banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a certain train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river to allow it to cross.

A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train's light. He stepped to the controls and waited until the train was to the prescribed distance at which he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but to his horror, he found the locking control didn't work. If the bridge was not locked securely into position, it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train came on it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard.

He left the bridge turned across the river and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever, which he could use to operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train passed. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this man's strength.

Then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control shack he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. "Daddy, where are you?" His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, "Run! Run!" But the train was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left the lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety, but he realized he could not get back to the lever. Either the people on the train or his little son must die.

He took just a moment to make his decision. The train sped swiftly and safely on its way, and no one aboard was even remotely aware of the tiny, broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the rushing train. Nor were they aware of a sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever to whom they owed their very lives. They didn't see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked to tell his wife the devastating news, which involved the hardest decision he ever had to make.

By an Unknown author

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

"This is how I know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for me" (1 John 3:16).

"God so loved the world that he gave his only and only Son
that if I believe in him I shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).