Memento Mori

Memento Mori. “Remember Death.” That’s the title of the sermon I am supposed to preach this Sunday. Only I don’t feel like preaching it, nor do I feel like remembering death.

An old friend of mine died earlier today in a car accident in CA (if you were driving on the 91 Freeway between Riverside and the 55 at midday you know what I’m talking about). His name was Chris Laurie; I knew his parents, they lived down the road from us. I used to drive him to school. We’d go surfing afterwards at 54th Street in Newport. In fact, the last thing he did with his Facebook page was add me as a friend.

Last I checked, his father Greg’s blog had around 3,000 comments offering comfort, so I’ll just add mine here in the off-chance he and Cathe and Jonathan will actually see it. I grieve for your loss, and I am angry and confused and am taking this harder than I would have expected given the fact that I haven’t seen Chris in years.

This world is fallen and cruel, and death is a relentless enemy who stakes his earthly claim on us all, often sooner than expected. But the resurrection gets the last word, and this allows us to grieve and lament not as those who have no hope beyond the cursed confines of this present age.

Grace and comfort to the Lauries.