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RELIGION
Dying Without A Purpose
by Rev. Charles W.
Larsen
Romans 6:7-8
Every person in the
world is going to die. This
is a fact which many of
us may regret. . .a fact
whiph many of us may re
sent. . .but a fact, none
theless, which none of
us can contradict. Death
is the one unalterable
fact, the one inevitable
fact of life. Every person
who is born is going to
die. We might try to hide
it. We might try to dis
guise it. We might try
to ignore it. But sooner
or later, ready or not,
willing or not, able or not,
we all have to face it.
Some of us die sud-
enly, untimely, without
warning. Some of us die
gradually, naturally, fully
knowledgeable of our
passing. But the speed of
death is unimportant.
Some of us die gently,
falling into death as into
a peaceful sleep. Some
of us die wretchedly,
racked with pain and
agony before death finally
give release. But the
ease of death is unimpor
tant. Some of us die at
a great age, faded and
hoary .Some of us are
cut off before we ever’
even reach first bloom.
But the time of death is
unimportant. The speed
of death, the ease of the
event, the time of life in
which it takes place:
none of these is important
What is important is
the sum of the life death
ends. What is important
is the meaning of; the
death. . .and the life. To
me, one of life’s greatest
sadnesses is to see some
one - - anyone - - who dies
without a reason, who died
without a purpose. One of
life’s greatest sadnesses
is to see someone who
dies looking back across
his life unable to see any
meaning or value in the
entire experience. One of
life’s greatest sadnesses
is to see someone who
feels that his life adds
up to nothing, an that his
death means only the end -
ending of an existence
which might just as well
have never been initiated.
Yet, there are many who
feel this way.
It need not be. It should
not be. For it is possible
to find a reason and a
purpose both for living
and for dying if we give
our life’s duration and if
we give life’s termination
for a meaning larger than
we are. When we give our
lives to someone else. . .
when we give our lives for
someone else . . then
death can be - - and often
is -- a beautiful thing.
Jesus said: “There is
no greater love than this
- - that a man lays down
his life for hi friends.’’
(John 14:13, Phillips) I
tell you also, there is
no greater life than this - -
that a man lives . .
and dies. . .for some
one other than himself.
We think of those pa
triots in our nation’s his
tory and of those patriots
in our nation’s present,
patriots who have died and
who are dying for their
country. Many people, es
pecially many younger
people, have in recent
months held patriotism up
to ridicule. They have
scorned our flag, mocked
our leaders and derided
our country. They don’t
understand the love of
the land and the people
and the political institu
tion which many others
of us hold. They don’t
understand that the love of
the land and the people
understand that many a
grieving mother, having
lost a son, has found con
solation in the assurance
that he laid down his life
so that his country
might be preserved, and
his country is bigger than
he was or she is. This
is a patriot: someone who
is willing to die for his
country. . .someone who
is willing to live for his
country . . .for his coun
try. . .rather than for
himself.
We also think of those
humanitarians who have
died and who are \dying
not just for a natioii, but
for the world. I think^im-
mediately of Mahatma
Gandhi, whose quest for
freedom echoed far
beyond the sub-continent
of his native India to be
come the universal quest
for freedom by all man
kind. And I think also of
Dag Hammarskjold ,
whose quest for peace
became the desire, not
just of his Swedish fellow-
citizens, but the desire of
the nations united to ob
tain peace for all men
everywhere. Gandhi gave
his life in the quest for
freedom. Hammarskjold
gave his life in the quest
for peace. Obviously, nei
ther man was totally suc
cessful. But both great
men gave their lives. . .
and their deaths. 1 .for
causes larger than them
selves. . .for purposes in
which they believed de
voutly.
We also think of those
martyrs who have died
tor the faith in the early
days of Christianity, and
and of those martyrs who
are dying for the faith
today. We probably are
aware of the countless
thousands who chose, in
the apostolic period, to
lose their freedom, their
fortunes and their very
lives rather than' re
nounce Jesus Christ. It
was the brightest period
in the history of Chris
tianity, for in no other
period did the church
grow as fast or as strong.
We probably are not as
aware that there still
exist countless martyrs -
people who, just to be
Christian* are risking
their homes, their fami
lies, even their own lives
- - in places like the Soviet
Union, East Germany,
Red China and others.
For us to whom the prac
tice of the Christian re
ligion is almost a matter
of course, it is hard to
realize the real risks and
continuing dangers brav
ed by people in our world
today, people who insist
on their basic right to
worship Jesus Christ,
when, where and however
they wish to.
I think patriotism is
great. A willingness to
live -- and die -- for
our country is a beautiful
thing. I think humanitari-
anism is great. A willing
ness to live - - and die - -
for our world is a mag
nificent thing. I think
martydom is great. A
willingness to live - - and
die -- for our faith is
a superlative thing. But
I also think that patriot
ism and humanitarianism
and martyrdom all re
main abstractions until
you and I begin to live
for -- and become willing
to die for - - one person
other than ourselves. Un
til you and I first begin
to make our love for our
country and our love for
mankind and our love for
our religion concrete --
concrete and specific —'
by loving one specific fel
low human. . .by loving
one specific fellow church
man - - we are doing noth
ing more than laying
sar an - wrapped abstr ac -
tions out in front of us.
The supreme example,
of course, is Jesus
Christ. He did not come
to the Jewish nation. He
came to you and .to me.
He did not live for the
whole church on earth.
He lived for you and for
me. He did not die for
the whole world. He died
for you and for me. Jesus
rarely dealt with abstrac
tions. He almost always
dealt specifically and im
mediately with people. . .
with individual persons. .
with their problems .
with their hang-ups. . .
with their deeply- rooted
and seldom - understood
personal needs. He does
not even now deal with
C ATLANTA BARB-Page 9
us on a “To whom it* t
may concern basis.
Rather he calls you by
name, brother. . .you by
name, sister. . .me by
name! More than anything
else, the Christian reli
gion is today, as it al
ways has been, a person-
to person religion. One
to one. . .God to you
. . .God to me. .you
to you. . .you to me. . .
You see, it really does
not mean too much for
any of us to try to re
bate to such large intan
gibles as “nation’’ or
“world’’ or “church.’’ It
is primarily essential for
us each to really see and
really relate to one indi
vidual. Our whole country
is in one person. And
when we abuse one per
son, we are denying our
total faith. Christ died
for one person. . .for you
. . .and for me. . .and
we dare never forget it.
And his death is overtly
for one primary purpose.
It is not to make you and
me rich. . .though we be
come rich through Christ.
It is not to make you
and me happy. . .though
we become happy in
Christ. It is not to make
you and me good .
though we become good by
Christ. No, the purpose
of Jesus’ life and the
purpose of Jesus’ death
is to make you and me
. .free!
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