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you

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death is inevitable for all that lives.

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Humans are the only creatures who

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have knowledge of their own death.

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It's a conscious awareness that creeps up

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on us as we get older.

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All other animals and plants seem to unwittingly

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live out and surrender to

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this pattern of mortality.

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This places humans in a state of anxiety and

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insecurity from our early years.

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We know on some level that whatever

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this is that we are living,

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it will not last.

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This knowledge changes everything probably more

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than we realize.

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So our bit of consciousness or conscious

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awareness tends to drive us

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into an unconsciousness.

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It's too disturbing to think about it.

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So,  question -

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In what ways do you observe

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fear of death

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influences our behaviour

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I said that fear of death causes us to choose to be unconscious.

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What might

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be

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some of the aspects of living unconscious?

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One of the ways that I observed the influence of

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fear of death is our response to the ending of

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things.

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Having been in ministry for 32 years

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now,

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I've had the privilege of seeing lots of ministries begin.

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And before I went into ministry, I started a

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youth work ministry in Griffith.

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When in Nyngan after the flood, we got

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up and running a disaster recovery program,

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and a coffee and share group.

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We started lots of things in Gloucester -an Aboriginal

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reconciliation group,

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a youth of yesteryear,

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a youth group,

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a flower Sunday event,

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a rural ministry orientation of training

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clergy,

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a coffee at court support table.

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And when it Parkes, it was the beginning of the

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Mid-Lachlan mission area,

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beginning of Project Reconnect,

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the beginning of the Elvis gospel service, the beginning

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of the Waterhole spirituality program.

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And I guess there are numerous other things too.

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Now if you're going to start all those things,

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are they going to last forever?

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I'm reminded of people who retire from a job and the company does not

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employ anyone to replace them.

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At the end when it's over,

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the death of a program, a job,

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a congregation -

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one of the piercing questions is -

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Well, was it worth it?

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For the retiree -

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did my work have any real value if

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they didn't replace me?

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Somehow I believe this is all tied into

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why we fear death.

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Death throws up the question of the value

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of my life,

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my work.

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Another way I see the fear of death impacts on

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us is where we deny death altogether.

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People refuse to accept the symptoms.  Whether

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we're talking about individuals or institutions or

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nations.

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So the end in fact comes all the more

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quickly.

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And we're less prepared.

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Rather than embracing our destiny,

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it grabs us like a ghoul grabbing

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us from under the bed.

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On this last Sunday before Palm

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Sunday,  we dare to look at the

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last enemy - death.

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And the only way we can dare to part the curtain,

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and view death is to be told about our

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resurrection from it.

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Yet I assume we all know that Lazarus did

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eventually die.

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Maybe 10 years later, maybe even 20.

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But it did happen, we assume.

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What then is the point of this last dramatic sign

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before Jesus own journey

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toward death?

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An important clue is given right before the action -

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when the disciples try to discourage Jesus from

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going back to Judea

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where he will be in danger.

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Jesus says calmly - are there

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not 12 hours in the day,

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when a person can walk without stumbling,

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when he sees the world bathed in light.

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Jesus refuses to

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fear darkness and death.

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Quickly he adds, our friend Lazarus is

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sleeping.

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I am going to wake him.

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Those who draw upon the twelve hours who see

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the world bathed in light now,

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have begun to see the pattern.

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As is often the case with wise people,

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they let nature nurture them.

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Yes the other hours of darkness will come, a metaphor

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for death.

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But the darkness does not diminish the light.

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Yes, there is darkness, but it's only the

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other part.

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It does not become the whole of

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life.

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Just as the day itself is 12 hours and the night

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the other 12 - two sides of the one

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great mystery

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of life.

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Jesus' job is simply to wake us

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up to this as he did Lazarus and the

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onlookers.

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Once you're awake to the universal truth, then

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physical death is no

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enemy to be feared.

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Do you believe this?

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Jesus says.

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And then in a final brilliant finale

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to the story He invites the onlookers

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to join Him in making resurrection

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happen.

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Move the stone away,

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unbind him and let him go free.

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It seems that we have a part to play in creating

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a culture of life.

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and resurrection.

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We must unbind one another from our

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fears and doubts about the supposed enemy -

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death.

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We must now see that the world is bathed in

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light.

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And help others enjoy that same

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seeing

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through our lived life.

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The stone to be moved is always our fear

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of death.

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The finality of death.

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Any blindness that keeps us from seeing that

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death is merely a part of the larger mystery

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called life.

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Mary Oliver says

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doesn't everything die at last.

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And too soon.

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Tell me.

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What is it you plan to do with your one wild

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and precious life?

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And Jesus says -

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I am the resurrection and the life.

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Those who believe in me,

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even though they die,

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will live.