As we wrap up our current teaching series entitled 'Questions about Life and Death', we are forced to think about our own immortality; to recognize that either the Lord Jesus will come and we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them (those who have died in Christ) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1Thessalonians 4:17), or we will one day die, we will pass from this life to life eternal. Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24).

I know, we don't like to talk about these matters, but in order to live well to the end, we must at times reflect on the reality that death will one day come for each of us (unless our Lord returns first).  I wonder, if you knew you were going to die, if you had only 30 seconds before you breathed your last breath, what would you say to those closest to you.

As I shared in the final message of this series, if I knew I had only 30 seconds to life and Janice was by my side, I would tell her that I have been blessed in the life that we have shared together.  'You have been my companion and friend, my partner in ministry and the source of my strength and joy.  I have always loved you and with my final breath I want you to know, I have loved you to the end, and I’ll be waiting for you.'
 
If I had only 30 seconds to live, I would say to my kids, 'I don’t know if it’s possible for a dad to love his children more than I have loved you.  Take care of your mom  and be there for each other; worship and serve the Lord and be blessed as you follow Him.  And always remember, one day, in Christ, we’ll be together again'.
 
Those words capture pretty much everything I would want my wife and kids to know; then I'd be ready to go.

A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. (Job 14:5)

None of us knows how many more days we will have on this earth.  We don’t know what lies ahead of us.
The journey may become difficult, the road steep, the path lonely. We may never accomplish all we set out to do.  We may never see all that we would like to see.  But, we can live by faith; we can live well right to the end and finish the race set before us with a confident faith that God will see us through.
 
When the time comes for me to leave this world, I would hope that my family might be able to be by my side. 
And I pray that they would still see my faith; that I might have something worthwhile to say to them, before I breath my last breath and that they might stand on my shoulders and see the things of God that I never saw as they take the baton from me and live out the faith passed on to them.
 
Friends – we are called to live for God and to pass along our faith to our children and grandchildren, to those we love.  In this season of our lives, may we be found faithful.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).

Like many of you, Covid-19 has created a new way of connecting, communicating and learning for me.  Over the past few months I have engaged in numerous Zoom meetings, virtual and simulated gatherings and  learning opportunies via online links.  Very recently, I watched an online session by Earl Lewis, a Professor of History at the University of Michigan; an address he entitled, Leading in an Age of Chaos and Change: Building a Community of Grace.  

In his address he described 2020 as the blending of the 1918 pandemic with the 1968 social and political unrest, wrapped in the 2008 econcomic collapse.  One such crisis can throw our lives into chaos.  To be bombarded on several fronts is almost overwhelming.  Our hearts and minds have been overloaded with fear and uncertainty, hatred and violence, more that we were ever created to endure. 

What is missing in our world today?  In a word, 'GRACE'.

The Bible says, there is a grace in our lives because of his grace (John 1:16 - J.B. Philips New Testament).  And because of that grace, we can and must lead the way in building communities of grace.  Lewis notes that a grace-filled community demands multliple architects. We have both the opportunity and responsibility to be conduits of HIs grace, perhaps more so than at any other time in our lifetime.  This is a season for many of us, who are in the third third of our lives, to be difference makers as we manifest patience and understanding, caring and compassion in the face of fear and uncertainty; to show to a hurting world that God has a better way, to pray for grace and love to triumph over fear and anxiety.

Solomon asks:  What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23).

Peter reminds us, there is another way, a better way to face the uncertaines of our day:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 4:6-7).

And Paul exhorts us to not become weary in doing good...as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6;9-10).

We all have a role in building and sustaining a grace-filled community.  It is why, in good times and bad, many of us find ourselves turning to that old standby -- born of a different era, challenged by a different code of ethics, framed by a world of cruel encounters and confrontation...'Amazing Grace how sweet the sound'.  (Earl Lewis)

Grace, it can make all the difference!  In the words of former U.S. President Barak Obama:  May we find ourselvs worthy of that extraordinary gift as long as our lives endure.