The world of music lost Glen Frey of the Eagles, David Bowie, Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane, Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire, Keith Emmerson of Emmerson, Lake & Palmer, Merle Haggard the Okie from Muskogee, Prince & Ralph Stanley the godfather of traditional bluegrass music known from the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

Hollywood lost Alan Rickman of Harry Potter fame, Dan Haggerty who was Grizzly Adams, Joe Alaskey whose voice we heard as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other characters, George Kennedy, Patty Duke, Gene Wilder, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Doris Roberts who played the ever-present mother of “Everybody Loves Raymond”, beloved comedian Gary Shandling, John Amos of “Good Times”, Morley Safer of “60 Minutes”, Alan Young, the straight guy of “Mr. Ed”, Robert Vaughn – “The Man from Uncle” & Florence Henderson or Mrs. Brady of that bunch.  Beloved Actress Debbie Reynolds followed her daughter shortly after hearing of her death.  We also lost Gary Marshall – creator of “Happy Days”, “Laverne & Shirley”, “The Odd Couple” & “Mork & Mindy” & Noel Niel, very first “Lois Lane” of  the “Superman” series

The Star Wars series of movies alone has lost Erik Bauersfeld, who delivered the oft-quoted line, “It’s a trap” as Admiral Ackbar, Kenny Baker who gave life to R2-D2 without every showing his face or uttering a line, and of course Carrie Fischer who played the ever-popular Princess Leia.

The world of sports lost Joe Garagiola, a household name among baseball fans, Mohammed Ali “The Greatest”, & Arnold Palmer who was truly great.

We lost Janet Reno – First woman to serve as U.S. attorney general, John Glenn, the first man to orbit the planet, Fidel Castro, infamous leader of Cuba as well as our beloved Nancy Reagan.

I will stop here, not because there are no more names, but because these should make the point.  We all die.  Regardless of fame, fortune, reputation or achievement, we die.

Of what accolades will we boast when we find ourselves before God?  How many of the above, do you suppose were ready to meet him?  I do not ask you to judge them, but to judge yourself in light of the inevitability of death.

You alone have the power to make your meeting with a happy and glorious occasion.