Sermon Notes - Sept. 18th

September 18, 2005
“I am Hard Pressed”
Philippians 1:21-30

1. Have you ever been in a difficult situation? Where you had very little room to maneuver? A life threatening situation, perhaps?

What was that like? Was it harrowing? Was it scary? Was it exciting? Was it dangerous?

Today we return to the adventures of St. Paul. The great Paul who was always getting into trouble during his ministry to the Gentiles.

People didn’t take kindly to Paul … or to just about anyone with new ideas … and so, Paul was often thrown in jail. … How often we are not sure but he writes in 2 Corinthians that while in was in Ephesus he was imprisoned several times as he puts it, “ with far greater labors, countless floggings, and often near death.”

2. Now, today, we are apt to think of imprisonment as a long time – perhaps months or years … but that was not the way it was in those days. Imprisonments lasted only a short time … only long enough for a person to be brought to trial … and the judgment was usually quick. If the crime was serious … it might mean exile or even death. On the other hand, one might be released quickly, as well.

However, while in prison there was not much in the way of amenities. Which means that you might not have enough to eat. Unless, of course, you had friends who could come to bring you food. Paul, in the case referred to in the scripture reading today, has obviously received help while in prison and is writing to thank the Philippians. He also seems to think that it is likely that he will be let go before too long. Which was often the case … throughout his rather long life … except at the very end, of course, when he was put to death in Rome. But that is another story.

3. Whatever the case, Paul, having been imprisoned frequently, must have had plenty of time to ponder what his life was all about.

Being in jail can possibly do that for you. You know … it could cause you to think seriously about your life and what it means.

So can being in a hospital bed!

Or, how about being on a cot in the middle of the Houston Astrodome with no place to go, no house, no job, and no likelihood of every going back to New Orleans again! That would be a difficult, thought-provoking situation wouldn’t it?

Think about it … just what would that be like? How would you or I survive in a situation like that? What would be going through our minds?

How would you describe such a circumstance?

Well, Paul writes about such a very similar situation in his letter to the church in Philippi.

4. Now, of course, Paul wrote in Greek. We have many of his actual writings and they are part of the New Testament. They are also the very first actual writings about the Christian faith …for they were written at least twenty years before the Gospel of Mark was first composed.

The problem is that like is often the case with other languages, it is often hard to translate the Greek precisely into English.

For instance, the more old fashioned King James Bible has it this way:’

21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
“I wot not?”

A first I thought there was a typo … I wot not? … But I looked it up in my handy dandy etymological dictionary (which explains the origin of old words) and I found that it means … “to know” … or “I know not” … “
I wot not” – means “I know not.” In other words, Paul says, “yet what shall I choose, I know not.” Well, we just don’t talk that way anymore, do we now?
Then the KJV goes on …
23For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
24Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
25And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
A “straight betwixt two” … now there is another good one. What does that mean …?
Well, to be in a strait means to be in a narrow place like a strait of water which passes between two pieces of land.
How about adding the word dire … to strait … as in dire straits. That makes more sense to us … doesn’t it? Have you ever been in dire straits? Dire can mean fearful, dreadful, terrible, horrible, or disastrous – well, take your pick!
Would you say that many of the victims of Hurricane Katrina were and are in dire straits? Yes, I think so …
5. More modern translations of Paul … use other words to say the same thing …
One version says … 3I am torn between the two:

And the Revised Standard Version says … I am hard pressed.
I think that describes it quite well … hard pressed. A lot of people were hard pressed by the Flood and destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Not only the victims … but also many government officials, firemen, police officials, and emergency responders were hard pressed to respond to the disaster in the Gulf Coast. And now, in the wake of the disaster, many officials from the President on down are “hard pressed” to explain what happened and what to do about it.
In fact, in the days ahead, our entire country may be hard pressed to decide just how to rebuild the damage wrought by this enormous natural calamity.
Whatever the case, one thing is certain … people are responding … and people are generously giving to the Red Cross and other charities and our church is responding by giving to UMCOR … and many Methodist Churches in the south are doing all they can and more to open the doors and homes to the flood victims and to provide food and other kinds of relief.
That’s the good news. People are responding in extraordinary ways and we can all be proud of that … don’t you think?
6. But, now we must ask the question, how would we respond, ourselves, in a time of disaster? In the face of life threatening circumstances.
Now, Paul, speaking for himself, sees it most clearly as a choice between life and death. And because of his faith in God through his encounter with Christ, Paul is not afraid to die.
In fact, he even welcomes it … for, at least at this point in his life, he no longer fears God’s judgment … and welcomes death because he believes it will reunite him with Christ …
And that is really one of the choices before him … not that he will choose it … but, as he says, if it were up to him … he might choose death …
Now in this passage, the Greek word which Paul uses … is analuein which means literally to pull up stakes … to break camp … to loose the ropes that hold the ship … and to set sail … in other words, TO MOVE ON.
My desire is to depart … this life … he writes … analuein … to move on …
How many of us could say that at this moment? That given our circumstances we would be gladly willing to break camp … if death were to come today ...?
7. Another meaning for analuein is to solve problems … and of course death is a solution … IT IS THE SOLUTION … to life’s dilemmas … isn’t it? For hopefully, beyond death is the answer to life … where those who have struggled in this life will finally understand what life is all about.
Perhaps it is best expressed in the famous poem “Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, which was once a popular hymn but is no longer in our hymn book.

Sunset and evening star,And one clear call for me!And may there be no moaning of the bar,When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,Too full for sound and foam,When that which drew from out the boundless deepTurns again home.Twilight and evening bell,And after that the dark!And may there be no sadness of farewell,When I embark;For though from out our bourne of Time and PlaceThe flood may bear me far,I hope to see my Pilot face to faceWhen I have crossed the bar.


I actually looked it up … in the church library and found that this hymn was last in the Methodist Hymnal in the 1939 edition and disappeared in the l964 book and is not in our current l978 red hymnal either.
Why, I do not know. Was it too sentimental? Was it too dismal? Or, are we too afraid of death, these days? Who decides these things anyway, I would like to know.
8. Well, while we are on the subject … they also took out another great 19th century hymn about death … by the great Cardinal John Henry Newman: It is called Lead Kindly Light … and it goes like this:
Lead, kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom, lead thou me on!The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead thou me on!Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to seethe distant scene; one step enough for me.I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou shouldst lead me on;I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead thou me on!I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,pride ruled my will: remember not past years!So long thy power hath blessed me, sure it stillwill lead me on.O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
That one was also last seen in a Methodist Hymnal in the 1939 version.
Now, I am not saying that we should all go back to the 19th century … but why, I wonder, were these taken out when there are still a lot of not so good and even more sentimental hymns written back then -- that are still in our hymnal? Maybe nobody cares …
Well, let’s face it after all, it probably matters more to me mainly because I am still a charter member of the dead poet’s society!
9. But, regarding Paul and his “pressing problem,” my point is this … that at least in other times and places … people knew and understood that death is always a choice … always. Perhaps, in earlier times they knew it better because life was so much shorter and there was no denying it.
Certainly Paul knew that life was short. Certainly he knew, like Tennyson, that someday he, too, would be carried out across the bar. And, certainly, like Cardinal Newman … he, too, sought that kindly light amidst the gloom … which he called Christ.
And he also knew that death was a solution … and perhaps he wearied of life … with all its struggles. For he implies that maybe the time has come for him to pull up stakes, break camp, and move on …
And, yet, he also knew that greater tasks lay before him … and because of this he knew that his work was not yet done and that he was still needed very much …
And so he writes: “but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith.”
10. Isn’t that the reality for all of us … here today? Not that we go around thinking about death all the time … I certainly hope not … and yet … who can not think about it … when it has been there on the TV screen in Louisiana … for three weeks now … and, let’s face it, Louisiana is a lot closer to all of us than Baghdad … that’s for sure.
It’s just not on the other side of the world.
Hurricanes and natural disasters definitely bring us all closer to life’s mortality and the fragility of human existence - isn’t that for sure?


Now, I don’t want to start sounding like one of those TV evangelist with some kind of end of the world prophecy, here. Not that they haven’t been doing that … In fact, I was channel surfing the other night … and there it was right on the screen … some well dressed guy yelling about the “Flood Waters are rising …” “the days of Noah are upon us … brother.” Pretty dramatic stuff! I even watched for a while. I thought maybe I could even pick up some good preaching ideas. But, after a while it got rather redundant and so I switched to another channel.
And if that wasn’t enough, I only had to turn on the radio the other day and someone was talking about the environment and global warming … and … all rest. There is no escape, is there, from the gloom and doom these days. It’s all around us!
11. But, let us understand that this is not another message from Paul about “let’s get saved” and “avoid the wrath to come.” This is not a message from Paul about sticking our head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich and hoping that Jesus will come back so we don’t have to take responsibility for all the trouble in our lives and in the world.
No, Paul’s message is one of hope. Hope for the things to come … Hope that in Christ God is at work in our lives … redeeming and transforming our shortcomings … and fitting us out for the work to be done … in the here and now …
The Eugene Peterson translation makes it so much clearer:
22As long as I'm alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I'd choose. 23Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better 24. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it's better for me to stick it out here.
25So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. 26You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We'll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.
12. “I plan to be around for a while.”
That is Paul’s word for today.
And as long as I am around, let’s get busy. Let’s get on with the work that needs to be done. And let’s praise God for all the good things in the world … despite the trouble and disasters.
In short, a word of hope, that puts things in proper perspective.
I don’t know about you but the news has been rather disturbing lately. Indeed, it has been very troubling at times.
In fact, every time I think about it, lately, I think about what it would be like to be the mayor of New Orleans, or the governor, or even the President. Talk about being “hard pressed!”
But the work goes on. The Red Cross is there … the United Methodist church is there …
And countless people are doing just what Paul says we should do … they are living for others … taking responsibility … and praising God.
13. Maybe, just maybe, I think that if anything good comes out of all this, it may be to put a dent in the entire preoccupation we have had lately in this country lately of living entirely for ourselves…and of caring only about Me, me, me …
Well, I don’t need to belabor the point about how everyone in America is suddenly aware of all the poverty which existed in New Orleans and how a whole lot of folks didn’t even own an automobile with which to get out of town. To be honest, I was even surprised myself about that reality, myself.
I wonder if maybe it’s a wake up call … for people to stop and take a hard look at what life in this country is really all about … and what it is that we are living for …
Maybe there is really some hidden prophetic message in seeing all that Flood Water rising …
Maybe it’s caused a whole lot of people to ask … What is most important in life … right now?
14. The other day, somebody was telling me about how they saw on the TV the image of a man guarding his house with a rifle … he was apparently staying behind to protect his wife’s silver set and other heirlooms … from possible looting. So here is this picture of this man and his loaded rifle standing on the porch --- when, all around him, the house … the whole neighborhood … and probably the whole city was going down right down the drain!! Well, we could definitely say that this man, too, was hard pressed.
But was that his only choice? When, instead of toting that rifle around, he could have been out helping all those who were injured and sick and hurting and who had lost everything?
It’s scenes like this which should cause us all to think about what is most important …in our own lives today. Is it protecting our property or is it helping others in need?
What would really matter to you and me today? Suppose, if we were the ones who were sitting on a cot in the astrodome … with nothing at all … what would matter most to us?
Hopefully, like Paul in prison, we would all be thinking about the people in our lives who were most important to us … and what we could make a difference in their lives by planning to go on Living.

Sermon Notes - September 18th

September 18, 2005
“I am Hard Pressed”
Philippians 1:21-30

1. Have you ever been in a difficult situation? Where you had very little room to maneuver? A life threatening situation, perhaps?

What was that like? Was it harrowing? Was it scary? Was it exciting? Was it dangerous?

Today we return to the adventures of St. Paul. The great Paul who was always getting into trouble during his ministry to the Gentiles.

People didn’t take kindly to Paul … or to just about anyone with new ideas … and so, Paul was often thrown in jail. … How often we are not sure but he writes in 2 Corinthians that while in was in Ephesus he was imprisoned several times as he puts it, “ with far greater labors, countless floggings, and often near death.”

2. Now, today, we are apt to think of imprisonment as a long time – perhaps months or years … but that was not the way it was in those days. Imprisonments lasted only a short time … only long enough for a person to be brought to trial … and the judgment was usually quick. If the crime was serious … it might mean exile or even death. On the other hand, one might be released quickly, as well.

However, while in prison there was not much in the way of amenities. Which means that you might not have enough to eat. Unless, of course, you had friends who could come to bring you food. Paul, in the case referred to in the scripture reading today, has obviously received help while in prison and is writing to thank the Philippians. He also seems to think that it is likely that he will be let go before too long. Which was often the case … throughout his rather long life … except at the very end, of course, when he was put to death in Rome. But that is another story.

3. Whatever the case, Paul, having been imprisoned frequently, must have had plenty of time to ponder what his life was all about.

Being in jail can possibly do that for you. You know … it could cause you to think seriously about your life and what it means.

So can being in a hospital bed!

Or, how about being on a cot in the middle of the Houston Astrodome with no place to go, no house, no job, and no likelihood of every going back to New Orleans again! That would be a difficult, thought-provoking situation wouldn’t it?

Think about it … just what would that be like? How would you or I survive in a situation like that? What would be going through our minds?

How would you describe such a circumstance?

Well, Paul writes about such a very similar situation in his letter to the church in Philippi.

4. Now, of course, Paul wrote in Greek. We have many of his actual writings and they are part of the New Testament. They are also the very first actual writings about the Christian faith …for they were written at least twenty years before the Gospel of Mark was first composed.

The problem is that like is often the case with other languages, it is often hard to translate the Greek precisely into English.

For instance, the more old fashioned King James Bible has it this way:’

21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
“I wot not?”

A first I thought there was a typo … I wot not? … But I looked it up in my handy dandy etymological dictionary (which explains the origin of old words) and I found that it means … “to know” … or “I know not” … “

I wot not” – means “I know not.” In other words, Paul says, “yet what shall I choose, I know not.” Well, we just don’t talk that way anymore, do we now?

Then the KJV goes on …
23For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
24Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
25And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

A “straight betwixt two” … now there is another good one. What does that mean …?
Well, to be in a strait means to be in a narrow place like a strait of water which passes between two pieces of land.

How about adding the word dire … to strait … as in dire straits. That makes more sense to us … doesn’t it? Have you ever been in dire straits? Dire can mean fearful, dreadful, terrible, horrible, or disastrous – well, take your pick!

Would you say that many of the victims of Hurricane Katrina were and are in dire straits? Yes, I think so …

5. More modern translations of Paul … use other words to say the same thing …
One version says … 3I am torn between the two:

And the Revised Standard Version says … I am hard pressed.

I think that describes it quite well … hard pressed. A lot of people were hard pressed by the Flood and destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Not only the victims … but also many government officials, firemen, police officials, and emergency responders were hard pressed to respond to the disaster in the Gulf Coast. And now, in the wake of the disaster, many officials from the President on down are “hard pressed” to explain what happened and what to do about it.
In fact, in the days ahead, our entire country may be hard pressed to decide just how to rebuild the damage wrought by this enormous natural calamity.

Whatever the case, one thing is certain … people are responding … and people are generously giving to the Red Cross and other charities and our church is responding by giving to UMCOR … and many Methodist Churches in the south are doing all they can and more to open the doors and homes to the flood victims and to provide food and other kinds of relief.

That’s the good news. People are responding in extraordinary ways and we can all be proud of that … don’t you think?

6. But, now we must ask the question, how would we respond, ourselves, in a time of disaster? In the face of life threatening circumstances.

Now, Paul, speaking for himself, sees it most clearly as a choice between life and death. And because of his faith in God through his encounter with Christ, Paul is not afraid to die.
In fact, he even welcomes it … for, at least at this point in his life, he no longer fears God’s judgment … and welcomes death because he believes it will reunite him with Christ …
And that is really one of the choices before him … not that he will choose it … but, as he says, if it were up to him … he might choose death …

Now in this passage, the Greek word which Paul uses … is analuein which means literally to pull up stakes … to break camp … to loose the ropes that hold the ship … and to set sail … in other words, TO MOVE ON.

My desire is to depart … this life … he writes … analuein … to move on …

How many of us could say that at this moment? That given our circumstances we would be gladly willing to break camp … if death were to come today ...?

7. Another meaning for analuein is to solve problems … and of course death is a solution … IT IS THE SOLUTION … to life’s dilemmas … isn’t it? For hopefully, beyond death is the answer to life … where those who have struggled in this life will finally understand what life is all about.
Perhaps it is best expressed in the famous poem “Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, which was once a popular hymn but is no longer in our hymn book.

Sunset and evening star,And one clear call for me!And may there be no moaning of the bar,When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,Too full for sound and foam,When that which drew from out the boundless deepTurns again home.Twilight and evening bell,And after that the dark!And may there be no sadness of farewell,When I embark;For though from out our bourne of Time and PlaceThe flood may bear me far,I hope to see my Pilot face to faceWhen I have crossed the bar.


I actually looked it up … in the church library and found that this hymn was last in the Methodist Hymnal in the 1939 edition and disappeared in the l964 book and is not in our current l978 red hymnal either.

Why, I do not know. Was it too sentimental? Was it too dismal? Or, are we too afraid of death, these days? Who decides these things anyway, I would like to know.

8. Well, while we are on the subject … they also took out another great 19th century hymn about death … by the great Cardinal John Henry Newman: It is called Lead Kindly Light … and it goes like this:

Lead, kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom, lead thou me on!The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead thou me on!Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to seethe distant scene; one step enough for me.I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou shouldst lead me on;I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead thou me on!I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,pride ruled my will: remember not past years!So long thy power hath blessed me, sure it stillwill lead me on.O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

That one was also last seen in a Methodist Hymnal in the 1939 version.

Now, I am not saying that we should all go back to the 19th century … but why, I wonder, were these taken out when there are still a lot of not so good and even more sentimental hymns written back then -- that are still in our hymnal? Maybe nobody cares …

Well, let’s face it after all, it probably matters more to me mainly because I am still a charter member of the dead poet’s society!

9. But, regarding Paul and his “pressing problem,” my point is this … that at least in other times and places … people knew and understood that death is always a choice … always. Perhaps, in earlier times they knew it better because life was so much shorter and there was no denying it.
Certainly Paul knew that life was short. Certainly he knew, like Tennyson, that someday he, too, would be carried out across the bar. And, certainly, like Cardinal Newman … he, too, sought that kindly light amidst the gloom … which he called Christ.

And he also knew that death was a solution … and perhaps he wearied of life … with all its struggles. For he implies that maybe the time has come for him to pull up stakes, break camp, and move on …

And, yet, he also knew that greater tasks lay before him … and because of this he knew that his work was not yet done and that he was still needed very much …

And so he writes: “but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith.”

10. Isn’t that the reality for all of us … here today? Not that we go around thinking about death all the time … I certainly hope not … and yet … who can not think about it … when it has been there on the TV screen in Louisiana … for three weeks now … and, let’s face it, Louisiana is a lot closer to all of us than Baghdad … that’s for sure.

It’s just not on the other side of the world.

Hurricanes and natural disasters definitely bring us all closer to life’s mortality and the fragility of human existence - isn’t that for sure?

Now, I don’t want to start sounding like one of those TV evangelist with some kind of end of the world prophecy, here. Not that they haven’t been doing that … In fact, I was channel surfing the other night … and there it was right on the screen … some well dressed guy yelling about the “Flood Waters are rising …” “the days of Noah are upon us … brother.” Pretty dramatic stuff! I even watched for a while. I thought maybe I could even pick up some good preaching ideas. But, after a while it got rather redundant and so I switched to another channel.

And if that wasn’t enough, I only had to turn on the radio the other day and someone was talking about the environment and global warming … and … all rest. There is no escape, is there, from the gloom and doom these days. It’s all around us!

11. But, let us understand that this is not another message from Paul about “let’s get saved” and “avoid the wrath to come.” This is not a message from Paul about sticking our head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich and hoping that Jesus will come back so we don’t have to take responsibility for all the trouble in our lives and in the world.

No, Paul’s message is one of hope. Hope for the things to come … Hope that in Christ God is at work in our lives … redeeming and transforming our shortcomings … and fitting us out for the work to be done … in the here and now …

The Eugene Peterson translation makes it so much clearer:
22As long as I'm alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I'd choose. 23Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better 24. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it's better for me to stick it out here.
25So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. 26You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We'll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.

12. “I plan to be around for a while.”
That is Paul’s word for today.
And as long as I am around, let’s get busy. Let’s get on with the work that needs to be done. And let’s praise God for all the good things in the world … despite the trouble and disasters.
In short, a word of hope, that puts things in proper perspective.

I don’t know about you but the news has been rather disturbing lately. Indeed, it has been very troubling at times.
In fact, every time I think about it, lately, I think about what it would be like to be the mayor of New Orleans, or the governor, or even the President. Talk about being “hard pressed!”
But the work goes on. The Red Cross is there … the United Methodist church is there …
And countless people are doing just what Paul says we should do … they are living for others … taking responsibility … and praising God.

13. Maybe, just maybe, I think that if anything good comes out of all this, it may be to put a dent in the entire preoccupation we have had lately in this country lately of living entirely for ourselves…and of caring only about Me, me, me …

Well, I don’t need to belabor the point about how everyone in America is suddenly aware of all the poverty which existed in New Orleans and how a whole lot of folks didn’t even own an automobile with which to get out of town. To be honest, I was even surprised myself about that reality, myself.

I wonder if maybe it’s a wake up call … for people to stop and take a hard look at what life in this country is really all about … and what it is that we are living for …

Maybe there is really some hidden prophetic message in seeing all that Flood Water rising …

Maybe it’s caused a whole lot of people to ask … What is most important in life … right now?

14. The other day, somebody was telling me about how they saw on the TV the image of a man guarding his house with a rifle … he was apparently staying behind to protect his wife’s silver set and other heirlooms … from possible looting. So here is this picture of this man and his loaded rifle standing on the porch --- when, all around him, the house … the whole neighborhood … and probably the whole city was going down right down the drain!! Well, we could definitely say that this man, too, was hard pressed.

But was that his only choice? When, instead of toting that rifle around, he could have been out helping all those who were injured and sick and hurting and who had lost everything?
It’s scenes like this which should cause us all to think about what is most important …in our own lives today. Is it protecting our property or is it helping others in need?

What would really matter to you and me today? Suppose, if we were the ones who were sitting on a cot in the astrodome … with nothing at all … what would matter most to us?

Hopefully, like Paul in prison, we would all be thinking about the people in our lives who were most important to us … and what we could make a difference in their lives by planning to go on Living.