Death: 'Sting' and 'Effect'

Today is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the day in which we in the United Kingdom are to experience the greatest amount of light in a twenty four hour period. Although for a precious family whom, like me, are from the Southern Hemisphere this day will most certainly be long, very long, but there will be not much light in their life. Why, you might ask. Today the Chemabus family lost their daddy, husband and friend. Today the darkness of death descended upon such a light-filled family. This dear man and his family were unequivocally the most God-loving family I have had the joy to encounter. His life radiated the love of God and was permeated by an 'aura' of one who was Enoch-like in his being constantly with the Lord.

You may rightfully question the apparent gloom with which I have written above. The often accusative finger would point out that surely we Christians are those who should be most full of hope when one whom we love has passed. Can I respond by saying a resounding "yes and Amen" to that! I, his lovely wife, my wife, my co-elder and the beautiful X1 church family will boldly proclaim with valiant assurance that our dear friend is resting in peace indescribable, and is filled with joy unimaginable in the presence of his dearest friend and most loving brother the lord Jesus Christ. NO ONE else has this hope, hope is Christianity's sole prerogative and we will stand in that. Death for us followers of Christ has "lost its sting." But...

Death has not lost its effect. One whom we embraced, one who always charged us to pray, who was an ever-present at every occasion in the life of this family of God's people, one who encouraged many with relentless energy, one who brought immense joy and strength to his wife and family is no longer with us. This rests with rightful sombreness upon us. I think we can often kid ourselves that we deserve in some sense that pain and sorrow and loss shall never come our way because we 'love Jesus.' But that, if I may be forthright, is downright stupid, shallow and in no way reflects truth. Hope is the mighty measure of our faith precisely because we live in a world which is real, broken, and saturated with pain within which we need such hope.

So we rest in hope - the sting of death is hopelessness, apathy, end - but we grieve, we reflect, we contemplate and, and what, we pray and love with deed not just word.

Rest in Peace my dear brother Humphrey Chemabus, I wait with great expectancy till the day we shall meet again. Until then I will seek to be as prayerful and Godly as you, because you were always a model of that to me!

Simon