Have you seen the headstones around here? A few tell more than names or dates. My favorites are (Halstead Str): Manning "she was gentle, meek and lovely", Sea Captain Stryker "their journey continues", (Center Str): Capt. Taylor who died at the battle of Chancellorville "giving his life for God and liberty", Dunham "a sincere, humble Christian and elder of Clinton Presbyterian church from its organization", Broadhurst ÿ "an honest man", or (Leigh Street): Dalrymple "her trust was in the God of her salvation".
I'm wondering by what quality you'd like the world to remember you. Maybe your epitaph will say influential, or rich, or talented. Here's a preacher's suggestion: the things for which you sacrificed might cause you to be better recognized than the things you strove to gain. On the other hand you might have a cupboard full of regrets. You'll be remembered for things you wish hadn't been done. In a small graveyard in Europe a stone bears just one word "Forgiven". I know where you can find ultimate forgiveness.
How about: "Wealthy, Concerned, but Late"? Every time the Easter story is read a rich man named Joseph enters the tale near its end. He's from the upper echelons of society. He was promoted to a seat on the ruling council. Meet the prominent son of the tiny village Arimathea that's vanished from history. Maybe that describes you too. I just know there'll be some readers who, like me, came from nondescript towns that have no international significance at all. Not everybody can be from New York! A stone near here says: Probasco, a native of Ireland.
Of ancient Arimathea there's not even a house foundation left standing. His birthplace was swallowed by time. Our best guess is 10 miles Southeast of Antipatris and about 20 miles East of Tel Aviv in the foothills of the Samarian Hills in Ephraim. Arimathea is known for nothing but that this one boy lived there and became a political leader, although there's a possibility it was near the ancient home of Samuel the prophet.
The Easter story calls Joseph a prominent council member. No doubt there were other shakers and movers in that day. Neither their names nor their epitaphs survive. What was so great about Joseph? My opinion is there was nothing great about him. But wait, church historians might object; he was a disciple of Jesus. The Bible says that fear of the religious majority of his day made him a secret disciple. What's a secret disciple? It's a contradiction in terms. Jesus often warned His disciples about being ashamed of Him before men. Joseph was weighing what was politically correct against what Christ demanded.
I wonder if that's how the world will remember some of us: "A secret disciple." Joseph was too afraid to be openly loyal to Jesus Christ. Surely not you too!
When the mock trial was done, the cross was adorned with the spent body
of Jesus and the Roman governor had granted him permission, Joseph came
and offered his garden tomb to the Master he'd followed from a distance.
He rolled a big stone across the grave entrance and WENT AWAY. I know
some secret disciples who have had a brief moment of service to Jesus,
but now a big barrier is in place neatly sealing them off from that
memory. They have gone away in their hearts from active discipleship.
This Easter compare your life with Joseph. Some of you are as much a
leader as he was. Commensurately wealthy. Others are even the most
successful person ever raised in their street or town. And sadly some, in
addition to all that, are content to be secret disciples for fear of what
business, educational or political colleagues or even family might say.
The British cherish a legend that this Joseph came to England with the
Gospel. Perhaps there's truth in it. Maybe he overcame his fears. All we
can ask is that this Easter the power with which God raised Jesus from
the dead may enter our lives to keep us from secret discipleship. Here's
the best ambition of all: "I want to know Christ, the power of His
resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, become like Him in His
death and attain to the resurrection of the dead." Will they say that of
you?