What do you think they will write in your obituary? Look at these excerpts from obituaries.
Jan Lois Lynch “What’s not to love about a woman who loved her children and grandchildren — almost as much as she loved the Boston Red Sox, cold Budweiser, room temperature Budweiser, cigarettes, airplane food, and the OJ trial?”
Danny Lloyd “Danny Lloyd was a generous man — giving away many of his possessions in the months before he died. He even left his car to twelve different friends… He was a ticket scalper and broker, or as he called it ‘a facilitator of supply/demand economics.’ If you are attending the memorial service, please ignore Danny’s scalper friends who might be offering to upgrade your seat for a small price.”
Philip Thorpe Clod “Clod, as he was called even by those who knew his name, lived such a boring life that watching paint dry caused him to hyperventilate. His accomplishments will be published at a later date if any are discovered.”
Price Davis, “Price Mackenzie Davis was killed when he rushed into a burning pet store to save a litter of purring, adorable kittens. Or maybe not. We all know how he liked to tell stories.”
Personally, I am hoping for a better obituary. King Saul, at the end of 1 Samuel died. In 1 Samuel 26:21 Saul says about himself, “I have been a fool and very, very wrong.” Saul has been a fool. He disobeyed God, offered wrong sacrifices, pays no attention to God in large and small things—always ready with an excuse.
Saul starts well
In the beginning, God called Saul and the prophet Samuel anointed him. (1 Sa 10:1-7) God touched Saul in deep and profound ways, giving him victory over the Philistines. But it would not last. In 1 Samuel 31, we read about Saul’s tragic ending. (1 Sa 31:1-9)
The Philistines attacked the Israelites and it was a massacre. They slaughtered many of Saul’s soldiers, including his three sons. As the fighting grew worse, archers overwhelmed them and mortally wounded Saul. Saul knew he was going to die but he did not want to die in a humiliating way, so he asked his servant to kill him. The servant was too afraid to raise a hand to the king. So, Saul fell on his own sword, killing himself.
How Saul’s death and Christ’s death are similar
There are some interesting parallels between Saul’s death and Christ’s death.
- It appeared to be the end of all hope.
- When Saul died, everyone thought it was the end of Israel and the Philistines would conquer everything.
- When Christ died it appeared to be the end of spiritual help, the end of Israel and a hoax.
- It seemed the enemy won.
- When Saul died, the Philistines marched displaying the heads of Saul and their sons.
- When Christ died, his body was bloodied and beaten on a cross.
- It paved the way for a new plan.
- Saul’s death made the way for David’s family to rule. David’s kingly line would lead to the Messiah—Jesus.
- Christ’s death provides salvation.
- It ended an era.
- Saul’s death ended an era of dissatisfaction and failure.
- Christ’s death ended an era of law and guilt, bringing a new covenant based on grace.
- It displayed foolishness.
- Saul’s death displayed the foolishness of a man.
- Christ’s death displayed the foolishness of God
1 Cor 1:25
I get to have life forever with Jesus because of God’s foolish love for me. Thank you, Lord!
The Rock, your place to belong
At the Rock, you can belong before you believe. Use the links to the right to begin your relationship with Rock Church. If you are local to Fargo, click the “free movie ticket” button to the right and check out one of our services, every Sunday at 10 AM, at West Acres Cinema. If you are not local to our area, that’s okay. There are all kinds of ways that you can participate in the happenings at Rock Church. We have many people that only interact with our church online. Use the “become a friend” button to be included in everything we are doing.
