This homily by Fr. Matthew Howell was given at St. Herman Church on Sunday August 15, 2021 on which the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. Fr. Matthew explains that in order to have a beautiful death as the Virgin Mary had--a "Christian ending" so to speak--we need to live a holy and beautiful life of righteousness, emulating the Theotokos by doing God's will in all things and ever striving to be with Christ.
