Leigibh anail ann an sìth

"... the dead in Christ will rise first." 1 Thessalonians 4.16

Yesterday evening I was called to the bedside of a lady full of years and surrounded by her doting family. She was, and maybe still is, close to glory and well aware of it, anxious to make her final preparations yet serene in her demeanour and ready to meet her Saviour and Lord. We chatted awhile in her native Gaelic, then I prayed and finally we all said the familiar words of Benediction "Gràs an Tighearna, Iosa Crìosd..."

Is there such a thing as a good death? Probably not because death is the final enemy over which life must triumph. While Jesus has won that battle, we must await his return before victory is complete. In the meantime death will come to all of us, one day or another, somehow or another. And, although we may not relish what it is, we can surely prepare for what it enables: rest from suffering and sorrow, reconciliation with God and with those who have gone before and - for those who die in faith - the sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life...