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From: T.M. Schoewe
We apologize for the abrupt ending to last week’s article “Your Tombstone.” We unintentionally omitted the conclusion. Ooftah! We’ll blame our buddy Al. You may know Al, he’s Art’s brother. Good old Arthritis and Alzheimer. Every now and then Al causes us to slip up or forget. Here is that conclusion to last week’s article.
Conclusion: There are many styles of tombstones but actually only two classes of stones. One is just about YOU. The other is just you (without God’s breath), dust, and maybe a symbol of hope. Anyway, so much for the news on your tombstone, that is really just for others to remember you by. But the news should not be just about YOU, but the news about God, Who is still with you! Like what David said, ‘Thou art with me,’ or as in John, where the ‘Thou art’ says “I am the resurrection and the Life.”
But now let’s stay with the subject for this weekend on “All Saints.” From the saints we learn two important facts: (1) there is only ONE CHURCH, and (2) there are only two religions. The old Apostles Creed has it right when it says “I believe in the holy catholic (Xian) church.” It says “believe” because we can’t see it. But God knows who believes, and this eliminates the hypocrites. We all know there are many religions in this world including all kinds of Christian denominations and the atheists as well, whose religion is “no God.” All religions can be divided into just two classes. Those that require “man must do something to get right with God” and the other that “God has done everything necessary for us and that we are saved by Grace through faith in the Christ of the Cross, and that faith also is a gift of God the Holy Spirit.”
Finally about the Sailor’s Cross of which someone asked. What does it look like? Here it is! The two hooks of the anchor are joined by a bar which forms the first letter of the Greek alphabet, ALPHA. The shaft of the anchor at its top has an eye or circle that’s shaped like OMEGA, the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Twisted around the shank is a double wire that reaches through the anchor eye and represents the bronze serpent that Moses held up when the Israelites were struck by fiery serpents for their open immoralities. Looking to that snake on a pole saved them from death.
So the Sailor’s Cross says, “here is the One,” the only One whoever said, “I am the Alpha and Omega,” which means the beginning and the end, the first and the last; the One who saves us from the sting of death that the oldest of serpents brought into this world. “YOU ENDS OF EARTH LOOK, BELIEVE!”
So we really do not need a tombstone, plus they are expensive; but it is good to at least let other people know that you are one with the “Communion of Saints” and on the road to resurrection and eternal life.
This article is written “SINE CERA” (Latin meaning “without wax” or put into our common vernacular, “Sincerely.”
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