“Teach us, O Lord, to live as those prepared to die. And when the summons comes, teach us to die as those prepared to live; so that, living and dying, we may be thine.”
On those Sunday mornings when I’m blessed to be serving on the Historic Campus, I slowly walk around the columbarium before anyone arrives, pausing to read the markers and remember the faces of the dear ones interred nearby . . . so many now, after twenty-five years of kneeling to complete the burial process and whisper, “I’ll see you later, my friend.”
The old prayer quoted above is a favorite, perhaps because the lives associated with each marker have strengthened my faith . . . in their unique ways, each showed me what it means to walk through this world believing that God’s Word is true . . . living and dying in the arms of the Lord.
During the next two weeks, I’ll be shepherding the family and friends of three more who walked the King’s Highway at my side; and in each case, I’ll intone the prayer above, not for the dear one being remembered, but for those for whom the old church bell has not yet tolled . . . knowing that all of them are going to die, I’ll be praying that all of them will be prepared to live. May it be so, Lord: may it be so!
