I’m well aware that the older we get, the more of our friends we expect to bury. I saw a friend of mine last year at a memorial service, and he said he had been to 20 memorials so far in 2019! Still, it’s always a shock.

I heard from my cousin on my mother’s side the other day. Steve is about six months older than I, and I’ve seen him only once since we were children. He wanted to send me a school textbook that belonged to my mother, but as part of the message, he added, “I am doing well but the holidays were rough without my wife of 53 years. Diane passed away in July from a blood clot after knee surgery. She is very much missed but God must of had a better plan for her. I’ll meet her again one day.”

I expressed my condolences and added, “Gives one pause since my second knee surgery is scheduled for May!”

Then just a few days later I received an invitation to a memorial service for the wife of a local, older friend who is active in men’s ministry. I had just received a message from him a little over a week ago, and his wife was copied on the email. Now she’s gone.

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4.13 – 18, NIV, emphasis mine)