In the End God

God be at mine end, And at my departing.

The end of life is perhaps the moment that many people suddenly feel that God is most relevant, where the God to whom we have paid perhaps a little attention suddenly becomes extremely relevant. God be at mine end is the ultimate moment of realising our need of God.

Faith is about the quality of our lives, and it gives us a feeling of guidance, stability, well-being – and knowing that we are loved and valued by our Creator. So much so that God sent the Redeemer. We need God in our understanding, our looking, our speaking and our thinking to live the lives to which we are truly called. Our human falling short of God’s glory and the many temptations of this world can cause us to keep God at a social distance.

Yet the Lord is forgiving. His love is ever-present, and if we wander away we are sought out by the Good Shepherd, welcomed back by the father whose goods have been squandered. We are loved. In life and in death.

My departing is a thought to which we may sometimes give consideration. I have a couple of pieces of music I would like played at that time, and I hope that people will think kindly of me. You know how it is. I imagine some tears will be shed but I hope that my loved ones will go forward into the future without lasting sadness, for they have given me such joy. And yet, this is the human side – I want God to be there, or more correctly I want to be aware of that presence. I want what life has taught me of the love of God. I want Jesus’ salvation to hold me fast and assure me that I am truly going home.

We naturally spend so much of our time dealing with earthly things, but when it comes to departing we are definitely thinking of going elsewhere. We don’t know what it will be like, we can only trust God and know that Jesus has gone before us. His resurrection speaks of newness of life, but as on this day he leaves the world, he ascends, he transcends this earthly life. We can think spiritually of soaring into the serene presence of our Father and of the faithful who have gone before us. Our departing is not the end, it is going above and beyond earthly things into the heavenly life of God. May God be with us all, throughout life and on into eternity.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

God be in my head, And in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, And in my looking;
God be in my mouth, And in my speaking;
God be in my heart, And in my thinking;
God be at mine end, And at my departing