Book Review by David Meldrum
Of all people, we Christians should be able to talk – amongst ourselves as well as with those who would not call themselves part of the Christian community – about death and mourning. Yet so often it feels to me that we’re scared of the conversations; we sing about death being defeated, but real discussion of it is, in my experience, rarely had. When death comes, in my experience of over 20 years of pastoral ministry, we tend to get the whole business dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible so that normal life can recommence.
It’s all more than a little out of kilter with a Jesus who stared death in the face and felt no shame at weeping when his friend Lazarus died – and He did so knowing how that story was going to end. In Ecclesiastes 7:4 we read that “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning”, but by this measure, many of us are short of wisdom. Tim Tucker is not one of those people; having experienced a tragic, sudden bereavement, this is his second book looking at the subject, and like the first one it’s a book that we’d all benefit from reading.
Clocking in at under 150 pages, it’s easy to read and always accessible; but that doesn’t mean it’s shallow. Far from it; this book contains brave engagements with what the Bible has to say about death and bereavement, and how God’s people are to deal with it. The book is also peppered with helpful guides for personal reflection or meditation; the online resources can be used with small groups as well.
A few years ago I – with the help of another member of the church – designed a Lent course for the church I was leading along these sort of lines. We called it ‘Prepare to Die (So You Can Live)’; it was, I know from what members of the church told me, the first time that some of them had given any sort of focused attention to the one thing we can say with certainty that we will all experience. We had Sunday sermons and midweek guided discussion groups; it was a helpful, if flawed, process for all of us. I dearly wish I had been able to use Tim Tucker’s books and other resources as a guide to what we were doing; it would have been a richer, truer experience for all of us. I can not commend this book highly enough.
Dave is an ordained Anglican priest originally from the UK. In 2010, he and his wife Bev moved to Cape Town, where Dave was Rector of a church until 2022. He is now exploring opportunities as a writer. He’s a husband, father, movie buff, reader and sports fan. He was provided with a copy of Finding Life After Death for this review. Dave has also written the reflection guide for Grief and Grace.
Finding Life After Death: a biblical survivor’s guide, is available from Amazon, The Message Trust, and Scripture Union. Please click here for purchase options.
