December 13, 2016 (Tuesday)
Dick Van Dyke was born on this day in 1925. Today is his 91st birthday. Happy Birthday, Dick. Your career has cheered and blessed millions of us.
We watch his old shows on television. We have a good time listening to his humor, watching him dance as if every joint in his body were unhinged, and being inspired by his enthusiasm.
The old kinescope recordings of tv shows, along with many films and,nowadays, digital recordings of various kinds collectively have the effect of convincing us that the actors are still young. Therefore they must be immortal, never aging, continuing to live active lives. But all this is an illusion. They are getting old, and one by one are passing from the scene. Although I am six years younger than he, I feel a kinship with the fact that we are all getting older every day. On one of those days we shall breathe our last breath on earth.
If these thoughts seem depressing, we can counter them with the teachings of Jesus Christ. An incident in his life teaches us that all those who have died are still very much alive. Speaking to the Sadducees, he said, “Have you not read what was spoken to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ He is not the God of the dead but of the living. When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching” (Matthew 22:31-33 NASB).
Whatever else Jesus may have been teaching that day, he was most definitely declaring that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are still alive. They are with the Lord today. And so are our loved ones who have gone on to Heaven. It is somewhat of a misnomer, then, for us to boldly declare that they are dead. They are alive with the Lord.
We have developed terminology that makes good sense when we understand the clear teachings of the New Testament. We say that a person “passed away.” They stopped living in this world and started living in another. We say they “went home.” And they did. That’s where they are today. The Salvation Army, organized using military ideas, says that each new death from their ranks is a “promotion.” Great thinking!
As the song says, “We will understand it better bye and bye.” But we know enough now to be comforted by the words of our Lord that believers never die: He said to his dear friend, Martha of Bethany, ” “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 NASB).
Let us hear Jesus today as he asks us as individuals, “Do you believe this?” I do, and I hope you do, too.