“Lord for your faithful people life is changed, not ended.”

This line from the Book of Common Prayer funeral liturgy is one of my favorites and a poignant reminder of what we believe about this life and the life to come. In the classic Christian traditions we believe that whatever comes after this is an extension of our short life here on earth.

A loving God awaits our return to God’s presence and Christ sits at his right hand offering to us eternal life and eternal peace. Which means that all those people that you love but see no longer are waiting at Jesus’ side for you as well.

But this theology of life being changed not ended is not only about the hereafter. When we encounter cataclysmic life changing events, moments when we are tempted to shout “my life is over!” Christ is right there to remind us that this is just a small change in the long arc of our lives, by no means the end.

For some of you the whole last year has felt like that, for others more recent events have tested your patience, your resolve, even your sense of self. For some of us, it feels like the world is crashing down on us, and others perhaps are too acutely aware of our own culpability in our current state of affairs.

No matter your condition or your state of mind, however, Christ is standing next to you to lift you up, hold your hand and remind you that life IS changed, but not over. There is a lot of life ahead, and Jesus can’t wait to walk with you through it.