The Cemetery Song

When you drive by a cemetery, what do you think?

Anything?

Do you contemplate the brevity of life?

At 62 years of age I can hardly believe how fast this life is going. I’m not going to have enough time to read all I want to read, to see all I want to see, to learn all I want to learn. Life is blowing by so fast I can almost feel the wind in my hair.

When you drive by a cemetery, do you mull over the fact that none of us get out of this life alive? Or do you keep your mind from going down that road? 

When you drive by a cemetery, does it make you want to spend some time evaluating the different world-views out there? Or are you convinced of the truth of what you already believe?

I’m mean, either this life is it, or it isn’t. And if there’s more to life than this brief existence on earth, doesn’t it make sense to invest some time trying to understand, as much as possible, what type of preparations we can make, if any, for the next stage?

James Gandolfini was interviewed a bit ago. The guy asked James, “If it turns out that there is a heaven, what would you like God to say to you when He meets you at the gates?”James gave some flippant answer that indicated he'd given virtually no thought to the prospect looming before him. No answer at least than what's possible by the arrogant human assumption that our Creator would be thrilled to have us spend eternity with Him.

Just think for a moment of all the assumptions in the interviewer's question.

. Does that mean that hell also exists?

. Based on what criteria should I assume that I'm going to heaven?

. If God exists, what can I know, and what should I know about this God?

These are just three of dozens and dozens of questions that come to mind from that interviewer's question. Yet most people ask none of them. The one and only time that I've seen Gandolfini was channel surfing. In the few and only seconds that I've ever watched The Sopranos he, James, was humping some woman from behind. She was oooing and aaahing and obviously lying to James about how good his sexual prowess was making her feel. That was enough to ensure that I would never watch a single episode of the Sopranos. 

The acting portions of his life was of course a teeny, tiny part of a life that would put Gandolfini a long, long way from God opening His arms in a welcoming embrace. 

Has Gandolfini, did Gandolfini put any thought at all into what lies beyond the Cemetery?

Do you put any thought at all into what lies beyond the Cemetery?

Before I stopped a month or so ago, I’d been reading atheist blogs for five or six years. I’m struck by the fact that they have this world-view that contradicts science. It explains almost nothing of what we see taking place before us in terms of human relations. Atheism cannot even explain right and wrong. Yet they cling to the hope that this life is all there is.

Does this lead atheists to consider that they might be wrong? Do they consider that if they are wrong, the consequences, according to Jesus, are daunting, to say the least?

You are going to have a spot in a cemetery sooner than you think.

Jesus says you’d better be prepared for the next stage.

The cemetery is singing your song.

Are you ready?