Death stalks our world, our communities and our homes. It rips life and joy from us and gives us grief and pain instead. It looks very much like death is running wild among us. The numbers dying from the Corona virus are overwhelming. Yet each death is not a number, it's a person who leaves behind loved ones shattered by grief.
Death doesn't care. It has been stalking us long before this pandemic and will continue long after it's over. But to hear about it night after night can be too much for us, so we try to distract ourselves. We escape into projects, movies, music, books, exercise or relationships. Yet these are only temporary distractions. We're like prisoners on day release. We can pretend everything's fine for a time but at the end of the day we return to our dark prison cell. Trapped by death. We don't need distracted we need rescued. We need someone who will bust us out of our prison and release us to live life. To live life without looking over our shoulder to the creeping reality of death.
If only there was someone who would rescue us from this darkness. If only there was someone who would destroy this savage beast of death.
God has.
Through the death of His Son, God has "...rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins."
And through Jesus resurrection to life, the claws and teeth of death have been removed. "Death has been swallowed up in victory". That victory over death is ours through Jesus Christ. Death may growl at us but we need not fear it, because of Jesus.
May you this day (and everyday) rejoice in your rescue from darkness and enjoy the life that is now yours through Jesus Christ.
