A bouquet of red roses has a heartfelt meaning for me. My husband Lynn gave me a bouquet of red roses on our wedding day. Tucked in among the flowers was his note reassuring me of his deep love on this most important of days. Now, eight years after his death, I often take a bouquet of red roses to place on his grave. Portions of Psalm 23 are inscribed on his gravestone. How fitting it is to have a personal expression of faith to serve as a message of hope to others.

The cemetery that Lynn and I chose for our burial is one of our city's pioneer cemeteries. Though these small cemeteries are still in use today, they also have many graves dating back to Oregon's pioneer days in the mid-1800s. When I visit this cemetery, I often walk around, reading inscriptions on these old tombstones. One set of tombstones always brings tears to my eyes. Side by side, three small gravestones mark the resting places of three children from the same family, ranging from ages 9 to 14, who all died within two weeks, probably from typhoid or diphtheria. Imagine the grief of the parents as they helplessly watched their children slip away one by one!

Looking more closely at the gravestones, I saw that in addition to each child's name and date of birth and death, the parents had inscribed that child's final words. One said, "I love everyone. I love Jesus." Another said, "I will be in heaven soon." These words of hope and love must have brought a measure of comfort to their grieving parents. In turn, these words have spanned the decades and serve as a perpetual testimonial of a pioneer family's faith.

These "last words" made me realize that a visit to a cemetery need not be all doom and gloom. The hope that we have is that because Jesus Himself died on our behalf but was raised victoriously from the dead, those who died believing in Him will also be raised, and we will see them all again, including Lynn and those three children — and Jesus Himself! Words of hope in the resurrection ring throughout the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15.

1 Corinthians 15:23b – Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. (NLT)

We know that death has already been conquered and that we and our loved ones have eternal life when we place our faith in Jesus' substitutionary death. Rejoice!

1 Corinthians 15:54-55 – Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (NLT)

Prayer: Thank You, loving heavenly Father, for providing a way out from the fear of death. Thank You for the hope of eternal life that will never fade. Amen.

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About the author:

Gail Lundquist <gail10833@gmail.com>
Beaverton, Oregon, USA
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