To flee not death: the eighth
faith characteristic listed in Alton’s letter is another way of stating “to
face death victoriously.” Christian’s
belief in Christ’s resurrection and eternal life serves to explain how Christians
can face death victoriously. Death in
the light of eternal life almost seems trivial.
A related concept is formulated from the belief that one can die serving
the will of the Eternal. There is a real
sense in which Martin Luther King, Jr. died in victory for he died serving the
eternal purposes of love. It is clear
that he understood well the constant jeopardy that his actions in this service
placed his life. But for him, death was
no threat from which to flee or hide in terror.
In the face of eternal purposes and ultimate concerns, death had to take
a subordinate place. We can see this
same willingness to put values above life in the example of witnesses serving with
resolute generosity in our everyday walk.
Ordinary folk often are unwavering (and thereby when necessary seen as
courageous) in their service to principles and values in their communities. And, of course, we must not forget official
first responders of all kinds who always stand ready to put service to others
ahead of themselves—even to the point of death.
To flee not death in the light of mortality and fragility would seem to
be impossible. In fact we find that
while no one wants to die, there is abundant evidence that under the right
conditions and priorities people willingly do so.
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