COLUMN: Viewpoint – Life after death

Last week I was overwhelmed by news of a tragic accident that took the lives of two Winnipeg young people. One was a well-known Manitoba musician and long-time friend and professional colleague of our son’s. Then I opened last week’s Carillon to read about the sudden death of fellow columnist Lori Penner. That coincided with preparations for a sermon I was giving in my church on life after death. June also marks the anniversary of the passing of both my parents, my father just a year ago.

So I wasn’t really surprised when I sat down to write this column, that life after death was a topic I couldn’t escape. I’m a person of faith so when I’m contemplating what happens when we die I seek clues in Jesus’ teachings. The Bible mentions heaven some 700 times. But as theologians Peter Enns and Jared Byas point out, Jesus tended to talk far more about the kingdom of heaven in terms of a present reality he called his followers to try and create here on earth, rather than some outer space sort of place we go after death. Jesus said heaven on earth was possible if people would only live according to his teachings.

We all experience heaven on earth moments that make us ask ‘could life get any better than this?’ I think about holding my firstborn child in my arms, waking up to the dawn chorus of thousands of songbirds in Costa Rica, seeing the pure joy on our son’s face when he performed with the Winnipeg Symphony, watching the moon rise over the lake at our family cottage or reading a story to three or four grandchildren snuggled up beside me. In the movie The Green Mile a character wonders if heaven will provide a chance to relive the very best moments of our lives. I love that idea.

In her 2025 Carillon Easter column, Lori Penner admitted to having no idea what life after death might be like although she was sure of its existence. I don’t know if I have her same certitude but I definitely am not worried about dying because despite the tragic heartaches and deep disappointments all our lives hold, I already consider my time here on earth to have been a wonderful, meaningful adventure in and of itself. If there is something else after I die it will be a bonus surprise.

I definitely believe we live on in the earthly realm after we die in all kinds of ways. The wealth of music recorded by Brendan Berg, the young musician killed in the recent accident, will go on inspiring and delighting people. Listening to three of my father’s grandsons give tributes at his funeral last June made it clear Dad’s influence helped shape them into the good men they are and will continue to be. The things my mother taught me by her words and example daily guide my decision making, attitudes and behavior.

Author Heather Plett uses a vivid and meaningful metaphor. She says our lives are like canvases on which a painting is being created while we live. People we have relationships with leave dabs of color on our canvas and they remain part of our life’s painting even after death.

Theologian Nadia Bolz Weber explains life after death in this lovely way. “Because God is love, the love we shared here on Earth is the connective tissue that unites us eternally with everyone who loved us.”

Contemplating life after death is healthy and helpful especially during those times when we receive stark and multiple reminders of death’s inevitability.