The Certainty of Death
My Favorite TV show presently is Duck Dynasty. I record each episode and often watch them many times. I think my favorite Character is Uncle Si. His little quirky sayings often times are quite entertaining.
He is known to say, “It’s on like donkey kong.” One of his other sayings that he often uses is, “That’s a Fact Jack!” This means it is a guaranteed truth. I have recently been reminded of something that is an absolute truth. It’s a fact jack that you are going to die. That’s right, we are all going to die. To some this is something you never let cross your mind. Yet there is no escaping our demise.
This past weekend I conducted my 500th funeral service. This just reminded me of the brevity of life. This was the seventh funeral that I conducted in the last five weeks. During this time the ages of the deceased has varied from seven months to 89 years of age.
I conducted one in Reno, Nevada on a Native American Colony (reservation) in this short time. All of this was just a reminder to me that death is real. It is no respecter of persons regardless of age, race, or sex. Life goes on after death and it is important that we all prepare to meet our creator.
I have had a few events over the years where someone was thought to be dead but they weren’t. I remember one time back about 20 years ago I received a call about a dead man in room 227B (semi-private room with two beds) at Walton Medical Center. The lady stated that the guy was from out of town and had been in a motorcycle wreck. I was needed to come and comfort his family who had just arrived.
The hospital was only five minutes away from my church and so I arrived about 15 minutes after receiving the call. I went straight to room 227 and eased into the room with a professional look, prepared to do my ministerial duty.
As I stepped in there was an elderly man lying in bed A and the curtain was drawn for privacy. I also figured he didn’t want to lie there and look at the dead person in the next bed. I walked around the curtain and to my surprise; there was no family present. The man’s body was lying there with the sheet pulled up to under his chin. He had a long beard that lay on top of the sheet.
Just as I was about to go and search for family members, I noticed his right foot moved under the covers. Then his left foot moved and I turned with haste and ran to the nurses’ station. Mary Jane was the charge nurse who had become quite familiar with me through my many visits at the hospital.
When she saw me she said, “What can I help you with today Pastor Danny?” I nervously spoke back and told her, the man in 227B that I had been called out for was not dead! She asked what did I mean. I said He ain’t dead, I seen his feet moving. Mary Jane said calm down Pastor; he’s not supposed to be dead.
After sorting through the facts we found out that a new receptionist had mixed everything up. She was supposed to call me and say that a man from out of town had been in a motorcycle wreck. He was waiting on family to arrive and he was afraid of dying and so he requested a pastoral visit.
I went back to the room and spoke to the man and told him how that he was supposed to be dead. I ministered to him and later to his family as well. We would later laugh about the matter. I did share with him that even though this was the result of miscommunication, there would come a day when it will be a fact, He will die.
If you read this article and you have questions about death and eternity please call me at 706-468-2606 and let me share with you how that it is a fact that you are going to die and it is a fact that you can know where you will spend eternity after this life.