Defeating or transcending one's own death is a very old mythological theme. I recently saw it reenacted in a ballet production of "Swan Lake."

To tell the truth, I really wasn't looking forward to the show that much. Much to my surprise, when the music started, I became totally engrossed.

The story goes like this. A young prince must choose a bride who will become his queen. His father and mother, the reigning king and queen, throw a ball. All the eligible maidens in the kingdom come, to be reviewed by the prince. Unfortunately he doesn't find any of the available maidens there to be satisfactory. (At this point, I whispered to my wife that if he could choose one of those nice girls he could save everybody a lot of trouble.) In despair, the prince goes off into the night. After stumbling along in the darkness for hours he comes upon a moonlit lake. On the lake are strange, beautiful, and gracious creatures. They are swan-maidens, young girls who have been cursed by a wicked sorcerer. By day they appear as swans. In the light of the moon they return to something like their original identities, though still feathered like swans.

Of course, we all know what happens next. The prince falls in love with the beautiful swan-maiden, Odette. They dance in the moonlight and agree that Odette and the prince will return to the ball, where he will choose her as her queen. The evil sorcerer, Rothbart, has other ideas. He substitutes his daughter, Odile for Odette. She appears identical to Odette, though she is dressed in black. The prince is tricked into choosing Odile to be his queen. Rothbart's ruse is revealed. In the betrothal of the prince and Odile, Rothbart's evil power is now reinforced and expanded to the whole kingdom. Once again, in despair, the prince returns to the lake. He finds Odette there. The young lovers dance their last dance. Rothbart also returns to the lake. In an orgiastic celebration of his evil victory, he kills all the swan-maidens. Thus, revealing his true identity. He is Death. The young lovers realize that the only way to break the curse is to throw themselves into the lake to their own deaths. Wrapped in each other's arms they drown in the lake. Rothbart loses his power and dies. The swan-maidens live again and the kingdom is redeemed. In the sacrificial death of our young lovers, Death is defeated and life is renewed.

As I said above, the defeat of Death by loving sacrifice is a very old theme. It is acted out thousands of times in the world's mythologies. (Think Jesus on the cross, dying for the sins of the world.) It is acted out millions of times a day by people just like you and me.

The question is: What is it that you and I must do to defeat our own deaths?

I addressed that question from the pulpit on February 5th.

Peace,

Jim