Clergy Corner: April 9, 2026

With Lent ending and Easter behind us, spring is truly in the air. Though a slight chill lingers in the mornings, the sight of golden forsythias in full bloom and nameless white trees—evoking images of grand cherry blossom festivals—makes me feel the vibrant pulse of new life. Driving through the area, the vast stretches of land are dotted here and there with the fresh green of rising grass and wheat, washing away eye fatigue and easing the boredom of the road. Finally, the long-awaited spring has arrived.

Last week, I conducted a memorial service for a congregant who returned to his eternal home just three months shy of his 96th birthday. Since meeting him during a hospital visit last September, I was consistently moved by his spirit. Even from a hospital bed, he was a faithful Elder who welcomed me with a bright smile. He was a man of humble spirit whose eyes would well with tears whenever we meditated on God’s grace or our hope for heaven.

During the service, many congregants shared fond memories of his long years of faith. They remembered him as someone who lived out Jesus’ words: “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” He was a man who lived to share love with the church and those in need.

While I always feel a sense of longing and sadness when saying goodbye to beloved congregants, there is a profound peace in sending off someone of such steadfast faith. I can let them go with gratitude, knowing they have met a “blessed death.” As Revelation 14:13 says, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.” Every human must face death eventually. The Psalm of Moses reminds us that our years are brief—seventy or eighty years that pass as quickly as a sigh. King Solomon, despite his immense wealth and wisdom, famously confessed, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless!” Whether one lives 70 years or 100, how empty life can seem. This wasn’t the moan of a nihilist, but the wise realization of a man who had seen everything the world had to offer.

What season of life are you passing through right now? Are you preparing for your own “blessed death”?

A blessed death isn’t about earthly success—it isn’t defined by fame, wealth, or even a lack of physical pain. It has nothing to do with worldly status. Instead, a blessed death means living a good life according to God’s will through faith in Jesus, looking forward to the day we receive a glorious resurrected body and eternal life.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life… Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” To face a blessed death, one must believe this. It is only through this faith that we enjoy the true life that never ends; that is what makes death “blessed.”

After His resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for forty days to strengthen the disciples’ faith before ascending. He promised to return in the same way He left. Our time on this earth is too short even for loving one another. I pray that we all live righteous lives—loving God and our neighbors—so that when the Lord returns, we may be prepared for a blessed death, receiving our shining resurrected bodies and meeting the Lord of Glory face to face.