Daily Word of Grace # 103 (August 6, 2020)
As a senior in high school English class I was introduced to John Donne (1572-1631), the Anglican priest and poet—specifically his “Holy Sonnet 10”—“ Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so; For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me. From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be. Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow. And soonest our best men with thee do go, rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery. Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, and dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, and poppy or charms can make us sleep as well, and better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then? One short sleep past, we wake eternally. And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.” The Christian faith is centered not only on the death of Jesus Christ but also his resurrection. God’s love is stronger than death. We are assured in scripture that “as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:22) and that in heaven that same Jesus Christ will welcome us and wipe every tear from our eyes for indeed “death will be no more” (Revelation 21:4). The good news of the gospel is that when it comes to death, John Donne is exactly right: “Death, thou shalt die.”
Love and Prayers,
Dave