5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER A 2014 I remember sitting with a parishioner many years ago; she was in bed, at home, with family, death was approaching, she had a terrible form of cancer, there were periods of terrible pain; she asked me to read John 14, our Gospel for today, I recited the first 6 verses, as I said the words her face positively glowed; and she said “I know where I am going, and Jesus will be with me” - not long after she died in an obvious state of grace. Her manner of dying was a great comfort to us all, and was a powerful testimony of her faith and the Easter Faith we celebrate each time we celebrate the Eucharist. Some of the questions I am asked are: What is heaven like? What happens when we die? Where do we go? It is all too easy to give glib answers, but they are not very satisfying; so I hope I can give some solid answers that are helpful. What happens when we die? I describe this as being a two stage process. In the first stage we are in that state or place where we await the General Resurrection on the Last Day. The second stage will be the General Resurrection on the Last Day when God will create the New Heaven and the New Earth as described by St John the Divine in Revelation 21. In the first stage, what is that state or place we are in? “In my Father’s house are many rooms…………..” Jesus takes us into the Father’s House where he has prepared a place for us. We are taken into God’s House - what else do we need to know? We are with God, who is perfect love and we are part of the Communion of Saints where we are knit together in a bond of love with all God’s people who have gone before us and who are still part of the Church on earth. Listen to these words from Thanksgiving Prayer 2 in our Prayer Book: “And so we praise you Joining with your faithful people of every time and place, Singing the eternal song: Holy, Holy………………..” “Joining with your faithful people of every time and place,….” I.e. We join together with all of Christ’s people on earth, as well as those who are in heaven – we are a part of the Mystical Body of Christ which embraces all Christians – of every time and place. Something well worth reflecting about. 1
The second stage is the General Resurrection on the Last Day, then will the dead be raised…as ST Paul said, and the new heaven and the new earth will be the new reality as St John the Divine said. The New Heaven and the New Earth 21Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’ And John is using human language with its limitations to describe the indescribable. His vision spreads out before us a vision in which the whole created order is renewed in a state of godly perfection, evil, death and corruption are all destroyed - this is heaven and this is our inheritance, what we strive for and what we long for - Hope fulfilled and completed. There is much more that could be said: but now is not the time for a lecture. At the very heart of our faith is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This one event has turned the world upside down, the powers of evil have been broken, goodness and love is ultimately triumphant. A new way of living has been set before us: the way of self- sacrificing love; which of itself is counter cultural. I Peter2: 22
‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ 23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. As we seek to be like Jesus, we experience his power and love: we will also possibly suffer as he did, but of this we can be sure: John 12.26: Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.
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