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Here Comes the Sun

My cousin Zach passed away this week. He was only 30, and it was very unexpected. Although our families lived far apart from each other, I had enough interaction with Zach over the years to feel close to him. He was a great kid.

Zach loved music, and was a gofted musician and sound engineer. As I attended his memorial service yesterday in St. George (really Santa Clara, but close enough), it was mentioned several times that his favorite band was The Beatles. In fact, his brother-in-law and one of the nephews played an acoustic Beatles medley on their guitars. Zach would have loved that so much, and if he'd been there, would have either gotten up and jammed with them, or recorded it, or both.

That got me to thinking about my favorite Beatles song, which is "Here Comes the Sun", off the "Abbey Road" album. It's a simple but brilliant song, talking about how the light of the sun makes the world warm up, winter go away, and eventually makes everything all right again. And that led me to thinking about the Savior, who is the literal Son, and who because of his atoning sacrifice, makes the devastation (winter) of physical and spiritual death all go away, and turns our mourning into joy. Here comes the Sun becomes Here comes the Son.

I doubt the Beatles were thinking of this analogy when they wrote the song. In fact, during this phase of their partnership, it's a wonder they could come out of the haze long enough to think of anything much at all. But whatever it took for them to write it, write it they did. Little did they know the effect it would have on me today, all these many years later.

So on this bright and sunny fall day, I remember Zach, and the Son of God, who makes everything possible. 

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