As I sat down this morning to begin the task of putting
together the slightly late November newsletter for PPL, I received a link to an
article
about
Dr. Peter Rasmussen, a physician and advocate for “physician aid in dying.”
Rasmussen was diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor, grade 4 glioblastoma. He chose
to end his life on Tuesday, Nov 3rd, “on his own terms”. How
incredibly sad that he cut short God’s activity in his own life. The article
makes no mention of Rasmussen’s faith or of any hope of life beyond this earth.
His story is jolting against the backdrop of last Sunday’s
celebration of the lives of those saints of the church who’ve gone home from
our congregations during the past year. Our hearts were full of gratitude for
their legacy of faith and that of generations of faithful believers before
them. How enriched we are to be mystically bonded to them across the bridge of
time and worlds through our common resurrection hope in Jesus Christ! Our
joyful celebration of their presence in our community of faith is especially
poignant in our local congregation as with fresh joy/grief another dear saint went
home to her Savior also on Tuesday. The difference is, Toni went home in the fullness of God’s time for her
life. Toni was not ending her life on her own terms, but I am convinced she
took the hand of her Lord in complete trust as she stepped joyfully into his
presence and joined the saints on the other side.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church of the Thessalonians
about the difference that hope makes when we face our own death or that of a
loved one.
13 But we do not
want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so
that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will
bring with him those who have died. 15 For this we declare to you by the
word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the
Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16 For the Lord
himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of
God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in
the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be
with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these
words.
–I Thessalonians 4:13-18
(NRSV)
The difference that hope in Christ makes at the end of life is
evident in the contrast between two individuals with the same diagnosis. Dr.
Rasmussen’s chose to die early. His family described his death by lethal dose
of medication as “peaceful” but there is no witness to God’s activity in those
last hours and days. In contrast, a blogpost by Mary, daughter of Dr. Maggie Karner, also diagnosed with glioblastoma,
reveals a woman who chose to live every moment given to her by God to the
fullest. Her daughter reports her words, “My brain may be cancerous, but I
still have lots to contribute to society as a strong woman, wife and mother
while my family can daily learn the value of caring for me in my last days with
compassion and dignity.” Karner spent her last months speaking against state
legislation allowing physician assisted suicide while Rasmussen worked for
approval of PAS. Her daughter tells of the great privilege of serving her
mother in her last weeks of life—of laughing, singing, and praying together.
God’s activity not only in Maggie Karner, but in her daughters’ lives is
witness to the difference hope makes at death’s door.
We all hope for our deaths to be peaceful and without suffering, but God wants us to trust him with all the days and moments he has planned for our lives. In trusting him at the end of our lives we yield to the work he is doing in and through us, believing as Paul encourages us, "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." (I Thessalonians 5:24).
Related articles:
Comments
Post a Comment
All comments are reviewed before they post.