2 Corinthians 5:8. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Winston Churchill (1874-1965) made specific requests regarding his funeral service. He asked that it begin with the playing of “Taps,” the traditional military signal played at the end of the day or the end of life. But when Churchill’s funeral service was over, those in attendance were startled to hear trumpets play the familiar strains of “Reveille,” the stirring call that awakens the troops at the beginning of a new day.
The end of life is in some ways like the end of a day. Life’s journey is long. We get tired. We long for our labours to be finished and the suffering to be over. Ahead lies the night of death. But thank God, morning is coming! A wonderful life lies just ahead for the weary Christian traveller. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord forever.
Over the weekend I have listened to “Reveille” quite a few times. With all the covid restrictions, I thought that the Remembrance service on Saturday night and from the Cenotaph on Sunday were done really well. It’s a time when I think about some young soldiers whom I had nursed in the 1970’s who died, but also the ones who were left with terrible injuries. I’m sure it is almost impossible for some people to forgive those who have hurt or killed their loved ones but as Christians we have to show love for all people.
The end of the Christian’s life is the beginning of a far better one.