Reverend Doom's Sermon 156

The Certainty of Death

Brothers and sisters, we gather not to shy away from the truth, but to confront it with open eyes and hollow hearts. For we, like the dust from which we were formed, are destined to return to the earth, claimed by the god whose hand shapes both our beginnings and our end.

There are those who speak of life as if it is eternal, who cloak themselves in false hopes, seeking comfort in lies. They say, ‘Fear not death, for it will not come for you today.’ They are fools. I was once like them, lulled by the weak whispers of those who claimed to serve the god of death but did not understand his true nature. They muttered soft prayers and empty words, as if their fragile incantations could stay the hand of our lord, the final arbiter. I believed them, once.

But one night, as the flames consumed my past and everything I had known, the truth was revealed to me in its dreadful glory. Our god, the keeper of the dead, is no soft father, no gentle shepherd leading us into the afterlife. He is a judge, a ruler whose dominion knows no mercy, and whose sentence is inevitable. Life is a fleeting illusion, a momentary pause before the eternal silence that awaits us all.

Do not weep for the dead. They are the fortunate ones, for they have passed beyond the veil and stand now in the presence of the god they serve, stripped of all pretence. It is the living who suffer, bound in a world of decay, clinging to the rot of existence, delaying what must come.

Ask not for deliverance from death, for it is death that delivers you. Do not beg for more time, for every breath you take brings you closer to his embrace. Embrace it, as I have. In every passing moment, in every funeral bell, and in every grave dug deep into the cold earth, I hear his call, his command. The god of death speaks to us all, but only the faithful listen.

You will stand before him. You will answer for the life you have lived. Will you come before him, trembling with fear and clinging to the lies of this world? Or will you meet him as I shall, with the certainty of one who knows the truth?

The flames of life burn low, and the cold, dark soil beckons. Prepare yourselves, for your time will come. It always does.

May our god of death show you the truth.

Amen.