Seize the Day

I got a little good-natured blowback recently when I introduced the death angel to our congregation.

I took as my text Paul's final visit with the Ephesian elders in Act 20. I extemporized about the uncertainty of life. The apostle said, "I will see your face no more." He had a premonition that chains and imprisonment awaited him in Jerusalem. Paul was, indeed, arrested in the city and Rome sent him as a prisoner to the capital. It was in Rome, we believe, he was killed at Nero's order.

I concluded from Paul's word a reminder that life is uncertain, and opportunity is momentary.

To illustrate, I found life expectancies at a retirement website. According to this site, average life expectancy in the USA is 77.5 years. Then I showed Alabama and Mississippi lower at 73.2 and 71.9 respectively.

I think the explanation may be that health care is an issue. Mortality rates are higher in parts of the Black Belt of Alabama and Mississippi with more limited medical care.

My concluding point was that we should all move to Hawaii where life expectancy is almost 80!

Some of my hearers told me they began to calculate how long they had to live.

Of course, life expectancy tables are averages used by insurance companies and aren't the case for everyone. One of our church members celebrated her 91st birthday last week, so she's above average, and we're grateful. But it's also true that some people don't reach average mortality. Soldiers killed on the battlefield can be in their 20s or 30s. And a little girl was struck by a hit-and-run motorist in our area recently and died at age 11.

Some of us have had sobering moments. I sat across from the doctor two years ago when he pronounced, "You have cancer." I was stunned, unable to respond, and felt mortal for the first time in my life. But this isn't unusual since one-third of American adults will have some kind of cancer.

Other diseases stalk our land. And sometimes our bodies just grow tired, wear out and quit without manifesting critical disease.

The New Testament writer James exhorted us not to boast about tomorrow since we don't know what it will bring or whether we will be alive to greet a new day (James 4:14).

This is the point of Paul's exhortation to his Ephesian church friends. He said, in effect, it's a privilege to serve God, so let's be faithful today while there is yet time to work and serve.

The Roman poet Horace wrote, "Carpe diem," or "seize the day." This is a good word for followers of Christ.

Live today with faithfulness and without regret. -30-

"Reflections" is a weekly faith column written by Michael J. Brooks, pastor of the Siluria Baptist Church, Alabaster, Alabama. The church's website is siluriabaptist.com.