THE SUNDAY SERMONETTE: Famous Last Words.

The Sunday Sermonette October 15, 2023. The last words of people have always fascinated me. Sometimes, in the closing moments of our lives, we find the most clarity and say the things we most want to say. I’m sure “When the Roll is Called up Yonder,” we all wish to be surrounded by those we love, like old friends and dear family members.

Many people leave this world with a final message that helps those left behind understand more about this bumpy road we call Life. When you read the last words of some people and know their background story, their final words bring joy to your heart. They can also be saddening to hear. Or stir strong emotions for that person. With this in mind, here are a few famous last words of famous people.

The Italian artist Raphael said, “Happy.” Famous classical composer Gustav Mahler said, “Mozart!” The Empress of Blues from the 1920s, Bessie Smith, who died in Clarksdale, Mississippi, said, “I’m going, but I’m going in the name of the Lord.” Old Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra said, “I’m losing.” After stepping on her executioner’s foot on her way to the guillotine, Marie Antoinette said, “Pardon me, sir, I didn’t mean to.”

Actor Michael Landon, best known for Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie, said, “You’re right. It’s time. I love you all.” True to form, Actress Joan Crawford yelled at her housekeeper, who was praying for her as she lay dying, and said, “Damn it! Don’t you dare ask God to help me!

The last words of Anton Levey, author of the Satanic bible, were more chilling. His dying words were: “Oh my, oh my, what have I done? There is something very wrong…there is something very wrong.” And in complete defiance, serial killer John Wayne Gacy’s chilling last words were, “Kiss my ass. You’ll never find the rest.”

On a sympathetic note, famed poet Emily Dickinson said, “I must go in, for the fog is rising.” Jane Austin said, “I want nothing but death.” And Edgar Allen Poe said, “Lord, help my poor soul.”

In my life, I’ll never forget the last words of the three people who molded me into who I am today. The last words my sweet Granny from D’Lo said to me were, “I love you too, Andy.” Holding my precious mother’s hand, she looked at me with fading blue eyes and said, “I love you.” As the nurses wheeled him to surgery, my no-nonsense father, concerned about my dear mother’s fragile personality, said, “Son, look after your mother.”

But of all the famous people and their famous last words, the most eternally famous last words were those of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 23, Verse 46, he quoted Jesus’ last words, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Jesus’ ministry on this earth was finished with those words, but He was not. Because the moment He breathed
his last, He was in the presence of His eternal Father, Almighty God.

What will your last words be? Will they be words of love? Words of hate? Words of fear? Words of doubt? Or will they be words that will ensure an eternity of happiness with no pain, no fear, or tears? Will your words be those of Jesus, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Do you know Jesus and His Father? If not, find a Bible. Find a friend, a priest, or a pastor who can help you. Your eternity depends on it.

My last words to you today are: Ponder this and go forth.