Easter Message By The Principal – About Life And Death

ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH

Dr Chong Siaw Fung

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Cor. 15:51-52)

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Rom. 6:5)

Humankind takes life and death seriously. In living, we all hope to live in a meaningful and fruitful manner. In dying, whatever our beliefs may be, we all anticipate some sort of a peace haven on the other side. Even those with no religious belief will seek spiritual solace or psychological tranquility at the last stage of their lives.

To Christians of all ages, Paul’s teaching about the resurrection of the body is surely comforting. For all believers, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the surety for the hope of the resurrection of our bodies and eternal life thereafter. According to Paul and the Apostles in the New Testament, we need not fear death, for it is like “sleeping”, awaiting the moment of resurrection. When we wake up from that “sleep”, eternal life in the presence of our Lord will begin.

The fact is, the eschatological experience of the followers of Jesus actually begins while on earth. In the spiritual sense, those who commit their lives to Christ die to sin in union with Christ’s death, and continue to live new and resurrected lives with the risen Christ. Our life with Christ on earth is a reflection of our union with Christ in anticipation of the eternal bliss of the life everlasting.

This is probably why some Christians are able to face death in a serene and even joyful manner. Death is not merely a departure, but more like “going home”. The final week of February this year was a sad week for STM, as we had to “send off” two of our Council members. I felt sad because I never had a chance to meet both of them personally due to the pandemic situation last year. I am comforted, however, to know that we will definitely meet when the Lord returns gloriously. We will miss you, Ir Marcus N. Sundram and Mdm Celina May Benjamin. You were truly models of the resurrected life in Christ to all of us.