Opening Prayer from Psalm 55:4-7
My heart is in anguish within me,
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
And I say, “O that I had wings like
a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
truly, I would flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
I would hurry to find a shelter for
myself
from the raging wind and tempest.”
Mark 14:50-52
Meanwhile, all his disciples
deserted him and ran away.
There was a young man following
along behind, clothed only in a linen nightshirt. When the mob tried to grab
him, they tore off his clothes, but he escaped and ran away naked. NLT
What
legacy will we leave behind? Will we go
with Jesus to the end, or will we leave our clothes in the hands of his
tormentors, fleeing to our naked safety? How will we make our end?
“As death loomed closer for
Kahkewaquonaby (1802-1856), he offered words of departure for his friends and
coworkers—words of commitment and conviction, rather than fear and abandonment:
“Tell my friends of England that I
die triumphing in the blood of a crucified Redeemer.”
“I am going home—going to my
Father’s house above; all is well, meet me there.”
“God bless you; be faithful unto
death, and you shall receive a crown of glory.”
“If I had my life to live over
again, I would wish to live as I have in the service of God.”
As her husband died, his wife Eliza
thought she sensed the departure of his spirit:
As I tried to trace its progress,
methought I heard shouts of victory resound through the vaults of New
Jerusalem, as the redeemed Indian bands hailed with a fresh song of triumph the
Benefactor of their race, the friend of suffering humanity; and the adorable
Saviour who had prepared for him a seat in glory, purchased with his own
precious blood, bid him welcome with the plaudit, “Well done, good and faithful
servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
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