In Memoriam

We’re standing here in a place where Tim would have felt comfortable. The outdoors, a place not only of re-creation but a reminder of God’s creation.

It’s true that even if you never entered a church, or held a Bible in your hand, there is much you could learn about God from being here. The Bible tells us that God’s power and divine nature are clearly seen in what He has made. So hunters and fishermen who love the outdoors, as Tim did, have a great responsibility: to know the God who created all of this.

Nature holds many lessons for us, but there is a lot that this forest and stream does not tell you. It does not speak of the Son of God who came to die in your place. God created all things for you to enjoy but reserved His only son, Jesus, for His greatest creation. That creation takes place when we recognize our sin and believe that Jesus gave Himself to be punished for it – that’s right, His life for ours, a substitute.

The Apostle Paul wrote that “If any man is in Christ He is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5.17). This means that the moment you believe in Jesus as your Savior, something new is born inside of you, the ability to know God, to learn about Him, to have a relationship with Him and live a life full of purpose and meaning – in short, to know what this stream and every beautiful thing around it cannot teach you.

Strange as it might seem, death is the closest we come to this new life, for it reminds us that this earthly life is short and that another life, eternal life, is available as a gift from God. So while we grieve the loss of a loved one, we take this opportunity from God to believe, so that when our time comes, we will not fear death, but instead look forward to eternal life in the presence of God.