Death Benefits
“I, too, decided, as one having a grasp of everything from the start, to write a well-ordered account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may have a firm grasp of the words in which you have been instructed.”
One day, you will die.
This is the opening message of Lent: “From dust you came; to dust you will return.”
The knowledge of our impending death could be cause for great anxiety. Approached with Christian vision, however, the knowledge of our death becomes more than sobering—it can become clarifying. Knowing we have a limited time can lead us to consider how to live wisely.
One of the wisest decisions we can make is to consider what story we will claim as our own as we journey through life. We all select a story by which to live, be it the story of fame-seeking, the story of unlimited choice, or the story of unbridled pleasure, to name a few.
Luke tells us that he has decided to write down an account of the story of Jesus, “so that you may have a firm grasp of the words in which you have been instructed.” Over against other stories of his day, Luke decided to write down the story of Jesus. Luke found this story more compelling than any other story and has invited countless readers over the years to join him not only to consider it, but to live in response to it.
In her poem “The Summer Day,” Mary Oliver asks:
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”1
On this Ash Wednesday, confronted with our mortality, it would do us well to ask a similar question: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with this wild and precious story of Jesus?”
We have one life to live and one story to choose.
Let us choose the story of life.
God, grant me a heart of wisdom that I might number my days, consider your story, and live faithfully to the story of Jesus. Amen.
STEVE BEZNER, PHD
Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Ministry
Truett Seminary
1 https://www.poetry.com/poem/173568/the-summer-day