The Fear of Death

Up until this past week, I didn't think I feared death. After all, as a believer I have confidence in life after death with Jesus Christ. However, on Thursday a special Easter gift came from an unlikely source, our local funeral home. The gift was my very own casket. At 46 years old, I am not expecting to use it very soon but my staff had this idea to have me enter into church on Easter Sunday in a casket to illustrate my sermon entitled: "The Legacy of the Tomb." As I laid in the casket for the first time on Thursday afternoon, I must confess that closing the lid rattled me a bit. As I waited on the church platform in the casket on Easter Sunday for the choir to finish the song "Up from the Grave He Arose," my legs began to shake, I began to sweat and I couldn't wait for Jesus to let me out when the song finished and he came out of the empty tomb. Thank God because of the resurrection of Christ every dead believer's body will be raised by Jesus one day. Thank God I have conquered the fear of a laying in a closed casket and more importantly the fear of death.