Celebrating
the freeing, supportive presence of God. So your experience of God may
become your experience of life. It is wonderful what God can do!
“This Business of Living and Dying”
April 2, 2006
What an amazing week this has been for me. It began as you warmly welcomed my dear friends into your midst last weekend. They were so impressed with your warmth, kindness, and welcoming ways. It was a real thrill for me to share these friendships with you, and particularly to experience Father Brian’s violin solo with you.
The week wrapped up with a tremendously successful Fish Dinner on Friday and a very inspirational Confirmation Retreat Friday evening and yesterday at Camp Asbury. I have posted a photograph of our five Confirmands on the front bulletin board.
Throughout the week, I have also had conversations with a number of persons about the exciting prospects of our upcoming new parking lot, and our foundation drainage project. You will be hearing more about these very shortly. We also received word that we have been awarded State (and soon Federal) Historical designation for our building. This is a special designation by itself, but it will also enable us to apply for matching funds for any qualifying projects related to our building.
All of this to remind us that we have a rich and full congregational life, along with our busy and valuable personal lives, each being blessed by God. Our Scriptures teach us that along with living life to its fullest, we are to share our resources with others, so that we might generously enable those less fortunate to also live life to its fullest.
In our Scripture this morning, Jesus is approached by two Greek gentlemen and two of his disciples, Philip and Andrew. Since his Greek guests were in no apparent physical or mental distress, Jesus treats them to an offering of good news. He tells them that the time has come for him to be glorified; this usually refers to his crucifixion and resurrection.
Jesus then treats them to an easily understood illustration based on daily agriculture: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
In these two profound statements, we are reminded that Jesus not only addressed life as we know it here on earth, but taught about another reality which exists in the spiritual realm of God most often referred to as “heaven.” In the illustration of the grain of wheat, Jesus teaches that there is not only existence beyond our physical death, but there is a productive life which follows our physical death. He set the example and assurance for this in his own death and resurrection.
There are those around us who find it difficult to accept the concept of a spiritual life that follows physical life. But if we observe it from God’s perspective, it becomes less daunting.
Our Scripture tells us that God is a spirit and as such always existed. The author of John tells us that the spiritual part of Jesus existed with God from the very beginning. The earth and its universe were later developments. Whatever life existed in the eons before the time of the planets, including earth, existed as spiritual life.
God, in his infinite wisdom, decided that the richness of life, which was spiritual at the time, could be enhanced by experiencing it first in the form of mortal and physical existence. In other words, those of us who are privileged to experience life on earth, in our present form, will be able to find greater fulfillment in eternal spiritual life. Why is this?
Let us use the example of the angels as described in Scripture. The angels are spiritual beings who have never known physical pain, loneliness, or even gravity. Neither have they experienced fun, joy, or fulfilled living. They are described as neither male nor female.
God’s creation of human beings, on the other hand, are well acquainted with the emotions and the sensations of physical, mortal life. When we receive the message that there will be no more tears in heaven, we, having experienced tears, will have a full appreciation for the absence of them. The same is true of pain and suffering, disease and loss. We live and experience these potent realities throughout our physical life and are well acquainted with them. Their absence was planned to be heaven indeed.
Life on earth alone and by itself often leaves much to be desired, particularly as our bodies wear out and we become plagued by disability and disease. Life on earth was truly an ingenious way of preparing us for life in the spiritual realm of God. Even the late June Carter Cash asked the question, “How can we appreciate the good times if we have never gone through the bad times?”
The Christian hope has never been a useless dream or wild imagination; rather is the hope found in our Risen Savior who proceeds from the Creator of all life. “In my Father’s house there are many places. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself,” so says our Lord Jesus Christ, “that where I am, there you may be also.”
As we gather this morning at the table of the Living Christ, we come anticipating his presence among us; we come seeking forgiveness for our sin and self-centeredness; we come desiring direction, counsel, and challenge for our living; we come to be assured of the profound love of God for each one of us; we come renewing our hope of life eternal through the power of the resurrected Christ. Amen.
