"In life and in death, we belong to God." The most recent publication of Call to Worship, the worship and liturgy journal of the Presbyterian Church (USA), included articles all about that line, which comes from a 1991 confession, A Brief Statement of Faith. I think about this line all the time; the deep truth of it weaves its way into my pastoral life and my own personal life in countless ways. As I meet with a family preparing to welcome a new child into their lives: in life and in death, we belong to God. As I gather at the bedside of a dying person: in life and in death, we belong to God. As I make my way through the joyful chaos of Sunday School classrooms and youth group gatherings on Sunday mornings: in life and in death, we belong to God. And in moments of joy and pain in my own life: in life and in death, we belong to God. What an unimaginable gift.
I was reminded of this line as we prepared our November 9 program of Sing For Joy, which includes lectionary readings that engage questions of life and death. Jesus responds to a question from the religious leaders about what happens to our marriages in the afterlife; Job offers an assurance of God's presence throughout all the seasons of life; the psalmist offers a prayer for deliverance in the face of deep suffering. One of the musical pieces you'll hear as part of that program is a newer hymn, When We Are Living (Pues Si Vivimos), which includes a similar affirmation to the line from A Brief Statement of Faith. The first stanza proclaims, "When we are living, it is in Christ Jesus, and when we're dying, it is in the Lord. Both in our living and in our dying, we belong to God; we belong to God." The gentle music of Roberto Escamilla sets that text beautifully, creating a steady affirmation of God's presence with us through all of life — and indeed, all that lies beyond this life.
We begin the month of November with All Saints Sunday, an especially tender Sunday when the Church around the world gives thanks for departed faithful ones. On that Sunday, we remember in a special way that "in life and in death, we belong to God." I invite us all to keep that affirmation close to our hearts throughout this month, through the remaining weeks of Ordinary Time, through Christ the King Sunday, and finally to the first Sunday of Advent, which falls on November 30 this year. As the liturgical calendar makes its turn to a new year, we remain deeply rooted in the truth that we belong to God, by whose grace we are saved and by whose love we are sustained. Thanks be to God!
Peace,
