Scripture tells us, when facing fear and the end of our days, “Do not be frightened. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15)
“Death and the current death rate have been headline news for much of the past twelve months” says Revd Dr Mark Newitt, Secretary for Healthcare Chaplaincy, Free Churches…. Mark goes on to say that, “despite death being headline news in recent times, “normally, death tends to be hidden away and taking about death is a taboo subject that people shy away from and feel anxious about.”
Mark offers us some further thoughts on this and we are featuring this news article as part of Dying Matters Awareness Week 2021 - Being in a good place to die. You can access the support materials produced by Dying Matters all year round…
Mark reflects that, “As Christians, death is not something that we should be afraid of, or afraid of talking about (1 Peter 3:15)”.
Mark goes on to reassuringly say that, “Professor Katherine Sleeman speaking at an event at the Royal Albert Hall said, ‘We prepare about the arrival of a new baby, we plan for it, we think about what we are going to buy and what we are going to call the new baby. It is part of our daily life, our conversation. Why do we not prepare for our death in the same way? I would like everyone to have a good death but we can’t achieve that unless we as a society stop whispering and start talking about it.’
You can see Professor Sleeman’s talk HERE: How to Have a Good Death: Katherine Sleeman at Imagining the Future of Medicine
“Dying Matters Awareness Week is a fantastic opportunity to open up the conversation around death, dying and bereavement and I encourage you to look at the resources available on the Dying Matters website.”
(cover photo courtesy of David Monje at Unsplash and photo above from Dying Matters resource pack)