This Concerns Me

What I'm about to share may perhaps sound maudlin to some but I think it needs to be said. Strangely enough, I read obituaries. It's probably due in part to the fact that I served as a hospice chaplain for ten years and obituaries became my "go to." As a matter of fact, I was often called upon to write obituaries for my patients. Now, after being retired for five years, I find myself still reading obituaries!

Today I read the obituaries published in a local newspaper. There were 17. Only two of them acknowledged any kind of church affiliation. That's less than 12 percent. Five related, "No service to be held." Four of them referred to the deceased as "being a devoted Christian with no church mentioned." And the remaining obituaries said, "Celebration of life service to be held at a later date." Frankly, I was shocked to learn that eight of the deceased died in their 50s and 60s, which is below the national average.

This concerns me.

Allow me to pull from these obituaries and formulate what I believe are accurate representations of what's going on in today's America:

1. Church affiliation is at an all-time low. Christians everywhere should be prayerfully concerned. What's happened? As of last Sunday, the average church in America sees a weekly attendance of less than 70 people. Please don't let mega-church numbers, or the occasional larger churches deceive you. It's time to ask the hard questions.
2. From what I ascertain, many today feel that Christianity is a separate issue from church attendance. Yet, the Scriptures teach exactly the opposite. No, church attendance does not save us, but if we're saved, we will want to be part of a community of faith. Where's the disconnect?
3. Thirty-percent of the above statistics, for some reason, left this world with little fanfare and no celebrated recollection of their time on earth. Why? Doesn't it seem sad to you that an individual is born, lived a period of time, died, and then nothing? Life has to count for more than nothing!
4. Six of the above individuals left no instructions for a memorial service. "To be announced." I'm sure there must be legitimate reasons for such a decision; however, grief cannot be put on hold. It comes whether we like it or not! My hospice training and previous pastoral ministry remind me that all of us possess significance and the right to matter. Life is way too precious to treat with such a nonchalant expression. I know I don't have all the facts as I write this piece; however, I do know that human life is way too precious to squander and treat so lightly.

Yes, someone has died but he or she is not just a statistic. We have a God in heaven who looks down upon the present 8.3 billion people alive on planet earth, Who weeps over the human condition, Who watched as all of the above 17 people passed away, and said, "For you I sent My Son to die."

Continue to pray for your unsaved loved ones and friends. Life is precious. Individuals matter. Death is real. Hell is real. Heaven awaits those who place their faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.