Hours Before (March 2020)

The words, “Breaking news” flashed across the television screen. A former Los Angeles Laker basketball player had died. My first thought was that it must be an older player such as Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Kurt Rambis diagnosed with a disease that had taken their life. However, when they announced the death of Kobe Brant, a legend in the landscape of basketball, it took me by surprise. He was only forty- one years old. I still have this mentality that death only comes to those who have a greater number of years from the date of their birth, and the bigger the number increases the probability of a death announcement.

His death was sudden and unexpected. He woke up Sunday morning and as was his routine, went to church. A few hours later the helicopter Kobe was on had crashed with no survivors. Across the globe, many other people died that same day without any news coverage. However, we can learn lessons about death and life from a man, whose death bombarded social media and was reported by every possible news outlet.

A caller on a sports talk show was shaken by Kobe’s death. He started off the conversation by saying that Kobe was invincible and larger than life and questioning how it could be true that he was dead. He later explained that Kobe’s death helped him realize he could no longer take his life for granted. As a result, the very next morning, he made it a point to kiss his wife and children before they left home for the day.

Death is not prejudice; it pursues everyone. The writer of Hebrews (Apostle Paul -my opinion) says, “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.”

Before any death there are the words, “hours before.” There are final moments, last pictures, last conversations and last memories. Years before Kobe Bryant’s death, when he was in trouble and his life was out of control, he sought guidance from a Catholic Priest. To make a long story short, he returned to his faith. God loves prodigals! (Luke 15) Kobe, a man who had everything the world strives for and emulates, did not turn to the temporary items in his life for solace but he turned to the eternal, Jesus the one who could forgive, and satisfy the longing of his heart. “God has planted eternity in the human heart.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

I believe the greater question in life is no longer found in the longevity of my beating heart, but it is found in how I will live while my heart beats. Paul states, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)” From both sides of the equation we win because of Jesus. And while I can quote this scripture as I type these words on my keyboard, I do not want to die today or tomorrow or even next week. What I know is that God’s grace wins. While I am here, the eternal values of God’s Kingdom lived out today reflects my eternal home.

The priest spoke at Kobe Bryant’s funeral and recalled how Kobe would sit in the very back row at church so he would not be a distraction. He would arrive just after the service started. He wanted people to focus on Christ and not the man Kobe Bryant. The Priest said Kobe was a man who took his faith seriously.

A quote I heard the other week keeps replaying in my mind, “If you’re not ready to die, you’re not living.” Chew on it, yourselves. This is what I know: Christians are not exempt from tragedy; therefore, live on purpose, focus on Christ, live for God today. (James 4:13-16)

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us the assurance of what we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Pastor Rich Edwards