Advent Devotion Day 12

Jesus of Nazareth, 33, died Good Friday in Jerusalem. Survived by loving family and countless devoted friends. He was the full embodiment of the universal love and grace of God. No services planned.

A free obituary in the Tampa Bay Times includes 7 lines. What would you say in a free obituary for Jesus? While it is a common high school creative writing assignment to write your own obituary, have you ever thought about writing an obituary for Jesus? And since Jesus was poor, we can assume his obituary would be restricted to the free 7 lines.

In addition to the person’s name, date of death, place of death, and age, most obituaries include family members, and often lots of family members. There is sometimes mention of the person’s job, interests, or activities. But how much can you say in 7 lines? In Jesus’ case, we don’t know a whole lot about his biological family. So, we might have room to mention other things, like activities and interests and involvements.

So, I encourage you to have a go at writing a 7 line obituary for Jesus. Here are a few more of my attempts:

Jesus of Nazareth, 33, died Good Friday in Jerusalem. Survived by loving family and countless devoted friends. He had compassion for all people and helped all people especially those who were poor or sick.

Jesus of Nazareth, 33, died Good Friday in Jerusalem. Survived by loving family and countless devoted friends. He showed what the world can be like when divine justice and peace reign. No services planned.

Jesus of Nazareth, 33, died Good Friday in Jerusalem. Survived by loving family and countless devoted friends. He lived the fullness and joy of human life which can only be experienced through service and self giving. No services planned.

Jesus of Nazareth, 33, died Good Friday in Jerusalem. Survived by loving family and countless devoted friends. He loved everyone. No exceptions. Even his enemies. No services planned.

So, what would you say about Jesus in an obituary? How would you say in a brief manner that Jesus is glad tidings of great joy to ALL people? It’s hard to limit yourself to 7 lines because there is so much good to say about Jesus. And then there is the matter of our obituaries. Jesus came to inspire followers. People who would carry on his mission and ministry. We are those people. So, what can be said in our obituaries?

Please feel free to post your sample obits for Jesus below.

Prayer: God, we are grateful that Jesus is glad tidings of great joy for ALL people. Help us to truly appreciate his teaching and to live in his way. May it be hard to write our obituaries, too, because there is so much good to say! Amen.