Eric Shepherd, our music and liturgy guy, led us in a new song this past gathering that included the line: trampling death by death. It’s out of a John “Golden Mouthed” Chrysostom sermon.
In my mind, it qualifies as a four word summation of the gospel if I’ve ever heard one. Jesus tramples death by dying on the cross. His light cannot be overcome by death, and as a result, death has been converted from a dead end into a door to life.
I’m beginning to think that many who have flirted with death and his cousins (suffering, loss, brokenness, depression, rejection, failure, etc.) have a deeper awareness that death is not what it seems from where most of us stand protected and “safe.” Why is it that those who are nearest to the broken have a story themselves? My guess and hope is that they’ve seen death for what it now really is.
Here’s one such example. I highly recommend it. Watch the video halfway down the page.
