Dear one,
“Mortality”: this morning, at some moment in the waking hours, that word floated into my consciousness. As far as I can recall, it was not associated with any particular dream, let alone a nightmare; but most likely its impetus was the crash that occurred this past Sunday: an Ethiopian Airline 737 Max 8 crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi. Upon the five occasions I’ve flown to Malawi, I have flown Ethiopian Airlines; whether or not I’ve ever flown on a 737 Max 8, I do not know, but I’m sure I’ve flown some iteration of the Boeing 737.
Two weeks ago I booked flights to Malawi via Ethiopian Airlines, and the “equipment” for the flight from Addis to Lilongwe is a 737-800, which is not a Max 8. Now I share this with you, not to express concern about my next travel to Malawi, nor callously to minimize the great, horrific grief for family and friends of those who died on Sunday; rather, I am reminded: I am mortal.
In part, it is this reminder the season of Lent seeks to impress upon us: the Old Testament expressions, “from dust to dust,”[1]and, “teach us to number our days,”[2]underscore this view. Likewise, the New Testament does not shrink from that same view. For instance, Jesus observed, “[Night] is coming when no one can work”; and the Apostle Paul penned, “I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come.”[3]Of course, these latter two quotes have been excised from a larger New Testament context, which proclaims hope: hope that we are not just dust; and hope that, even though our days our numbered, much lies just beyond us.[4]
It might be patently obvious: the New Testament and the Christian Faith presuppose, if not herald death's reality; but if so, I forget. I tend to think that my life stretches before me in an uninterrupted sequence of days; and that, if our world is fraught with danger, then let reason prevail: I'll not fly “foreign airlines over foreign continents ...”
Lent bids me face my mortality; and Lent invites me to see my life, and this season in the light of Jesus’ Cross and Empty Tomb. His Light and Life prevail.
Hopefully,
Stan
Ps. In July/August I look forward to life with 50 Malawian pastors, who conceivably touch 325,000 lives. [1]Ecclesiastes 3:20.[2]Psalm 90:12.[3]2Timothy 4:6.[4]Romans 5:6.
2019: R-U-M "Mortality"