They used to say never talk about religion or politics (if that’s you then steer away from my blog, as I think these are the main things I blog about!). Yet I don’t think these subjects are taboo any more, most people are quite happy to talk about both religion and politics.
Sex too, is something we (by and large) aren’t too worried about talking about, in fact watching the telly it is nearly all celebrity gossip programmes talk about.
Money, is something that people are fairly happy talking about today too.
Yet the last taboo is death.
Death, no one wants to talk about, and yet it’ll all happen to us one day!
woody Allen said of death “I don’t mind dying, I just don’t want to be around when it happens”.
with the Turning Script (as with an older form of Evangelism called EE) they ask the question “if you were to die today would you know for sure you were going to heaven?”
This seem to me to be crashing into taboo central!
I guess Death is a bit like that “no more bets” moment when playing Roulette… I might be an atheist but what if I’m wrong? what if God exists? How I lived my life really matters if I have to answer for it.
One of the scariest scriptures I know if “Man is destined to die once and then after that face judgement”.
I think deep down people know the “I was done as a baby” or “I’m not really the religious type” are excuses that probably aren’t going to work on God, and I’m a good person feels a bit like shakey ground, was I good enough?
The Turning script gives some great Bible quotes… “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” -in other words, none of us can boast, look down on anyone because all of us have messed up and fallen short. “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus” -the idea that sin has consequences, but God gives us a free and unearned gift of eternal life, in Christianity praise God we don’t get what we deserve.It talks about “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”, this open offer for us all to accept, this amazing gift placed into your hand ready for you to take.
Christians are no better than anyone else, but we are simply people who have said “yes” to this unearned gift.
Death is a taboo, because without Jesus there is no “sure and certain hope” no assurance of salvation.
without Jesus’ death and resurrection we could not say “Death where is your Sting, it has been swollowed up in Victory”.
Death is the ‘last enemy’ the ultimate fear, but the resurrection means that because Jesus rose again so can we, for the Christian death is more of a comma than a full stop.
we believe as Christians that after death comes life.
Jesus promised that he himself was the “resurrection and the life”.
I remember the story of a Christians funeral and this opening statement he had written was read out “You have come to mourn my death, but I tell you this, I am more alive than I have ever been”.
The taboo hides peoples greatest fear dying with out assurance of salvation, often faith is their life’s great unanswered question, or a question they have put off for another day, only the fear is one day it might come suddenly and unexpectedly, like the parable of the Rich Fool, who died suddenly and unexpectedly.
Lets take time to realise that this life is not all there is, there is more, much more and it is all available in Christ.
Let’ seize this wonderful free git that transforms us and enjoy it.
The last taboo holds no fear or danger for the follower of Christ Jesus.
scruffyvicar 