21For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.22But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.23For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.24Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
This is a great illustration of a mindset that is focused on eternity. This life is not all there is, and God has loved us so much that He has provided us a way to be with Him forever. Because Jesus Christ died on a cross and is now risen from the dead, we have the opportunity to inherit His new life. And, that life doesn't end when our time expires here on earth. I believe that God wants us to think on eternal things and to evaluate our status once we leave this earth - we can know, because the Word of God promises that is we make Christ our Lord and Savior, we are assured of life with Him forever.
In 1st Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul reminds us that our physical death is not the end - Christians have the bright promise of living forever in eternity with Jesus:
16For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.17And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!18Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.20But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.21For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
There have been a couple of reports recently about tombstones and their content:
One story is out of Cincinnati. Army Sgt. Kimberly Walker served two tours of duty in Iraq, only to lose her life, allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend, when she returned. According to UPI, in order to commemorate her death, her family decided to erect 2 tombstones at her gravesite. The monuments were of the cartoon character SpongeBob Squarepants, and the family spent $26,000. CNN reports that one honored Kimberly, the other her twin sister Kara, an IT specialist for the Navy. One SpongeBob was dressed in Army garb, the other in Navy. Each of the monuments stands more than 6 feet tall and weighs 7,000 pounds.
The monuments were ordered and arrived 2 weeks ago, but were removed by the cemetery after they were erected. The president of Spring Grove Cemetery said, "The family chose a design with the guidance of a Spring Grove employee who unfortunately made an error in judgment. The monument does not fit within Spring Grove Cemetery guidelines, was not approved by senior management and cannot remain here."
The last report I have seen is that the parties are trying to work things out.
And, then there's the case of another tombstone in Colorado. This story is from ChristianNews.net.
Linda Baker, the wife Mark Baker, pastor of Harvest Baptist Church in Ovid, Colorado, passed away recently following a battle with cancer. According to reports, one of her last wishes was that her tombstone be engraved with an Ichthus fish and the name of Jesus in the center.However, when her family advised the director of the city-owned cemetery of the desired inscription for the marker, he stated that he could not grant the request. Shawn Rewoldt explained that the fish would be acceptable, but the name of Jesus presented a problem. Daughter-in-law Stacy Adams told commentator Todd Starnes that, “At first they told us it wouldn’t fit. But after we kept pushing them, the cemetery director told us that it might offend somebody. They weren’t going to allow it.” And, apparently, there was plenty of Scripture to go around in the cemetery.
The family went to Sterling, CO city manager Joe Kiolbasa, who said he had to confer with the legal department and appeared to be stonewalling. After going public with their concerns, Kiolbasa explained that there had been an “error” in Rewoldt’s judgment, and that the city would not interfere with Christian-based inscriptions on tombstones.
“This gentleman thought it may have been objectionable to someone because of the Christian connotation,” Kiolbasa told reporters. “It has been corrected.”
While Baker’s tombstone is finally being engraved as desired, Adams says that she is still disturbed by the entire situation. She told Starnes that it is grievous that “people are so fearful of one name that they would go to such lengths to try and eliminate it.”
Personally, I would not be thrilled if 2 6-foot SpongeBobs turned up in the cemetery where my loved ones were buried...I have absolutely no problem with the name of Jesus being engraved on a tombstone. These tiffs over tombstones can remind us of some important points:
First of all, you recognize that a grave is just the resting place for our earthly bodies. It's important that you have made the decision on your ultimate resting place - where you, the real you, will spend eternity. And, that can be decided by your acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Our eternal destiny is determined by our choice for Christ.
While the design of a tombstone is an important consideration in the proper burial of a person's body, we recognize that what is spoken at a funeral and the legacy we leave is far more important. We honor and remember people after their deaths, and I would hope that I live my life in a manner that would provide for a compelling story when it comes time for a speaker to memorialize that life. You would hope that the stories that are told on that occasion would be a testimony to the power and presence of Christ.
One of the common components of a tombstone inscription is the dash between the dates of birth and death. The question has been explored: what will you do with the dash? Mark Harris highlighted that in his song, "The Line Between the Two". Our days have been determined by God. So our challenge is to make the best use of the days given to us by the Lord here on this earth. The time period represented by that dash is a gift, and we want to be good stewards and manage our time well so that He is exalted through us.
I'm thankful that this public cemetery in Colorado has made the right call about including the name of Jesus on this pastor's wife's tombstone. And, perhaps the SpongeBob situation is somehow being resolved. But, we can be drawn to think about the story behind the monuments, and would hope that our eternal destination is settled. It can be...
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