Is this it? – 14 September 2009

The question today, along with several similar ones, appeared on posters all over the UK as part of the Alpha Course publicity a few years ago. Our attitude to life depends, at least in part, on what we think will happen to us when we die. If you believe in eternal life, you probably have a completely different perspective to those who believe that “life is all there is”.

Believing that death is the end leads to “living for the moment” like the Epicureans who believed that we should live for now, enjoy life and minimize pain. It leads to an unhealthy focus on the self, untempered materialism and the pursuit of pleasure above all else. Life itself becomes the goal and since we only have limited time it can lead to obsession with health and fear of death.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Luke 12:22-26 [NIV]

Do you spend a lot of time worried about your life? Do you think a lot about what to eat and what to wear? Do you worry about how much life you have left?

Worry and fear are great motivators – it is interesting to see the way in which advertising works on our fears of death and losing loved ones. We can spend Millions trying to add days, weeks or years to people’s lives – is that wrong? The government uses fear to justify defence spending and military policy, and also to increase “green taxation” by making us fear the consequences of our reckless use of the earth’s limited resources. Not that the policy is wrong, but it is justified by fear and planting seeds of worry, more than by statistical or scientific argument or the wisdom which comes from God.

Jesus was prepared to sacrifice his life for us – if he had listened to the wisdom of the world he would have avoided his crucifixion, and we would have lost our salvation.

Lord, thank you for the sacrifice you made to give us life – help us not to worry about our lives. We dedicate our lives to you, the author of life, Amen.

Dave MacLellan, 14/09/2009