Green Pastures
Weekly Devotional
On the Lighter Side
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die."— Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
I love to do on-line research. One can get quite an education. Mind you, not all things Google are accurate, but I do get a lot of hearty laughter from what I glean. For instance, this item about the town of Lanjaron. (I double checked the verity of this and it is true.)
Lanjaron can be found in the province of Granada, by the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The municipality has a population of around 3,600. While it might look like a quaint and picturesque area, the town has one bizarre characteristic - dying there on weekends is 'banned'.
That's been the case since 1999, when the mayor at the time, Jose Rubio, declared the new rule. It was enacted in response to the town's cemetery being too overcrowded for souls to get decent eternal rest. At the time, the area's 4,000 residents were advised to remain alive while municipal officials shopped for land to house a new graveyard.
The Spanish mayor issued an edict ordering people 'to take utmost care of your health so you do not die until town hall takes the necessary steps to acquire land suitable for our deceased to rest in glory'. It reportedly added: 'It is hereby forbidden to die in Lanjaron.
However, it's unclear if a new burial site was ever found. Mayor Rubio claimed at the time that locals took the order well, taking the edict with a sense of humor and a strong desire to comply with it.
Lanjoran isn't the only place to 'ban' death. In 2008, the mayor of the French village of Sarpourenx issued a decree banning residents from dying in his territory unless they already owned a spot in the overcrowded cemetery. Mayor Gerard Lalanne warned that there would be a 'severe punishment' for offenders. (wait – what?) Now that’s hilarious! I wonder what kind of punishment that would be? The mayor decided to take the radical measure in protest against a legal ruling preventing him from enlarging the burial ground in the village of 260 people. There is no word on whether Lalanne's wishes for a larger cemetery were ever granted.
Ya just gotta love people! God must get a few chuckles out of what He created.
But reading that article did cause me to stop and think about life and the ridiculousness of getting to choose not to die.
The Bible indicates that the timing of death is sovereignly appointed by God, rather than left to chance, with every person's days ordained and written in His book before they begin. Psalm 139:16 reminds us of David’s words, "all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be".
While death is an inevitable, universal appointment, the Bible teaches that God determines the number of days a person lives. Life is not accidental; nor is it open-ended; God has set limits that no one can exceed. Job 14:5 states, "his days are determined, and the number of his months is with You.”
God knows the exact moment we are to depart this earth, so we focus on living for Him, knowing our days are in His hands. Each one is a gift from God. Thank Him for each day He has given you and use it wisely,
I see the bible verses above speaking to the issue of humility and total dependence on the One who created us, recognizing that God controls our allotted time, and no town mayor, or crowded cemetery can change that.
B. Klassen beatrice.klassen@outlook.com