“Natural life comes to an end in death; spiritual life does not. Death for the Christian is real, but transitional. . . . The holy life has no end; it simply undergoes a transition from this life to eternal life. The Christian life concludes not with a death certificate but with a promotion to glory. Hallelujah!”
— Luke Keefer, Jr., twentieth- and twenty-first-century Brethren in Christ theologian and teacher, in his book Everything Necessary: God’s Provisions for the Holy Life.
It was pure joy to be in his class before it was too late. Blessings on his family and church; I know they miss him dearly. I will save this beautiful quote for funeral sermons – thank you Devin. You’re doing a wonderful job with our rich BiC history.
This morning at breakfast, some friends and I were speaking about the longing for home. This quote was an apt follow-up to that conversation. Knowing that Luke recently received his “promotion” reminds me again of the very different emotion for the individual being “promoted” and for those remaining.