And This Is Eternal Life

There was one day late spring when there was a break in the rain.  Remember what that is? I took a long country walk.  The sun was shining warm on my head. The birds were singing, the air fragrant with all the wildflowers in bloom.  The fields and mountains colored a vibrant lush green multi-layered tapestry.  Heavenly.  Away from all the worries about my daughter’s wedding, and clients who were having a hard time.

I couldn’t help thinking once again that God knew what he was doing bringing me here to Pennsylvania, though the path hasn’t always been easy.  A perfect moment.  And there are more I recall, most recently celebrating Christmas 2024 in our church sanctuary with the beautiful music of our choir, Kim and Sarah.  And then, watching my daughter and husband walking down the aisle and later dancing the father-daughter dance.

I hope this is one of those days for the Kleckner family, with their three sons  baptized in the Lord.

How many of you remember times in your life have you experienced exquisite joy, happiness unfettered, feeling totally present in the moment. There is that quiet happiness that seeps into every pore of your body.  Remember? Perfect moments come when you accomplish a long-term goal that took time and sacrifice. Doing your best and knowing it.   When you first realized that this is the person you want to marry.  The birth of your children, their first steps, the first time they say “I love you Mommy, I love you, Daddy.   These life-enhancing and joyous actions and times are the expressions of God in the world.  We can take these for granted or think of them as miracles.

These are the moments that have become internal and eternal to our lives.  Thinking about them, we are happy all over again.  Eternal life isn’t just about what happens to us after we die.  Eternal life is now.   Eternal life is knowing God in this moment, in the next moment, and in each and every step of our lives and beyond. This is heaven on earth.

Jesus says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Eternal life is a sharing of living relationship with God.  We are holding the divinity of God and Jesus within us, intersecting with the eternal.

In John we read, “He who believes in Me (Jesus) will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” (John 11:25-26.

Let’s not chase this opportunity away.  Writer Glenn Miller states

Knowing God—and the life that flows from Him—is what salvation in the New Testament is all about. It is not about religion, but about relationship. It is not about law, but about life. It is not about works, but about wonder.[1](Glenn Miller, 2011)

Through the grace of God, we are allowed to experience the mystery eternity that is Jesus Christ, beginning now.  Let us keep the promise we made today, to three of the Kleckner sons to do just that. Thanks be to God.  Amen.