EASTER 7 - may 24, 2020

Reflection:
​EASTER 7 – Eternal Life

Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35
                        John 17:1-11
Acts 1:6-14
                        1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11

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Here in NSW, we have finally started coming out of the lockdown imposed by the Federal and State governments to keep us safe while the virus COVID-19 is still so virulent in our community.

While this is an inconvenience to most of us, it is also the best and safest way of containing the spread of the virus among our friends, family and acquaintances. Even though church gatherings of up to 10 are now allowed by the Federal government, our Synod, in conjunction with representatives from each Presbytery, have agreed that it is still best to not open our church buildings for gatherings at this time.

We’re all keen to get back to our regular way of worship, but not at the risk of even one of our congregation inadvertently catching the virus.

Sometimes it seems like this time of isolation will never end, but the words of Jesus, brought to us in this week’s bible reading from the Gospel of John, gives us another perspective. 
“Our time here on earth is just a taste of what is to come.”

Please read the following:

John 17:1-11  -  Jesus Prays for His Disciples

We know that Christians have often thought about eternal life.
What will it be like, they wonder?
When will it happen?
Is it only at the time of death, or at some other time?
 
The promise of eternal life has often been seen as a reward for our hard work, here in this life - a prize that must be earned, or perhaps even as a free gift - but even then, a kind of reward at the end of the race.
 
But in John’s Gospel, Jesus says that eternal life is actually knowing the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom God sent.
 
So, eternal life is not a reward at some future time, but rather the life we find, right here and now, when we encounter God through Jesus Christ.
 
The life that’s been shaped by the Gospel is an eternal life in the present times.
 
This changes everything, as we look for eternal qualities and values in “who we are” and “how we live”.
 
Those biblical scholars among you may be wondering why this reading from John comes after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus (we are now some 50 days after Easter).
Did the people who made up the Revised Common Lectionary make a mistake?
The answer is “no, they didn’t.”
 
The beauty of this out-of-order reading, proclaiming the cross in the midst of our season of resurrection, brings us right back into God’s calls on our lives, when we hear Christ's words once again.
 
If we merely heard this prayer before Good Friday, we might mistakenly hear it for that day alone, for that appointed time.

But on this side of the crucifixion and resurrection, on this after-Easter day, when we go back and listen once again, we hear the whole prayer in a different way and realize that what starts as Christ's obedience to change, ushers in our own obedience to change.
 
The point of Jesus' plea today is not his obedience to the past; the point is his obedience for our future.
This is not merely a prayer that Jesus throws up into the heavens so that his work on the cross might be fulfilled.
No, this prayer, heard on this side of Easter, is a prayer for you and me, for the Church, that we might realize the faith Christ has in us, the faith Christ has in our call.
 
Unlike the early disciples, we now know the whole story, and we get to hear Christ's hope, Christ's call, Christ's obedience to us on this side of the cross and the empty tomb.
 
Thanks be to God for this out-of-order prayer.
Thanks be to God that Jesus is still praying for us.
And thanks be to God for those who hold us accountable.
May we hear all their voices, and once again, accept our call.
 
Please now read the other 3 Lectionary readings set down for this week.
​
Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 - Praise and Thanksgiving         
Acts 1:6-14  -  The Ascension of Jesus
 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11 - Suffering as a Christian 

Let us pray.
God of grace, we look to your love and light to shine in our lives and our world.
We cast all our anxiety upon you:
the state of world politics;
the division of peoples;
the effects of climate change;
the growing disparity between rich and poor;
the prevalence of violence in our homes;
the increase in mental illness;
the gap between First and Second Peoples;
the indifference and apathy in our world.
We cast these anxieties upon you knowing that you care for us all. Give us courage in the face of fear.
Help us to be agents of change and love that we might be steadfast in faith as you are steadfast in faithfulness. Gather up our hearts and prayers this day. Hold us in your light and heal our wounds.
In Christ’s name we pray.   Amen.   
 
To know God is to know eternal life.
May God gather us up to be the people of love, who walk this life as a people who have already entered eternal life - for we surely already have.
Go into this week, safe in the knowledge and the peace of God’s love for us.
In the name of the three-in-one who is life itself.
 
Pastor Rick