Today’s scripture: Hebrews 2:10-18 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Steve Adams):
We savor those times when we’re vibrant, active, aware — able to really live — to learn, to work, to play, to love, to create; time to explore and delight in the vast universe within the souls of our loved ones, ourselves, and the infinite being of God. Life is great when we’re healthy and free to develop the skills of life, to make the world a little more the way God wants it to be. Naturally, we don’t like sickness, which hampers the development of all of these delights.
And death? It’s the greatest enemy. We spend huge amounts of money on doctors and medicines and treatments. Many of us spend extra money to buy healthy foods, herbs, supplements, whatever we can find to help us feel good and live longer. Whenever a loved one leaves in a car or on a plane, we say, “Drive carefully!” or “Have a safe flight!” As George R. R. Martin has written: “And there is only one thing we say to Death, ‘Not today.'” Why? Because, naturally, we abhor it! It goes against the overpowering instinct God has implanted within us, which is to go on LIVING! It takes away those we love: our parents, our friends, our spouses, our beloved pets, and ourselves — apparently forever.
Unless…UNLESS there’s a way out, a way we can survive this apparent final ending that confronts each and every one of us. When you think about it, why wouldn’t God see to it that the spirit, the soul, the ESSENCE of a person goes on after death? These fantastic creations of God (people!) would seem to be God’s highest priority to preserve and continue. God, being love, eternal and limitless, would want to make our spirits the same. God naturally has the ablity. We’re simply so oriented to the physical realm, seeing things in a constant state of change, aging, and decay, that it’s hard to imagine a world without these limitations.
Hebrews 2 speaks about the fear of death, even to the point of becoming enslaved by it. But the Bible offers a remarkable solution to the predicament of finality: Jesus Christ! He totally partook of flesh and blood, coming down to the level of humanity so that he could become our pioneer in defeating our greatest adversary. He CONQUERED it! He triumphed over the worst thing in the universe, enabling us to do the same! Is this too good to be true? Or, is it the product of wishful exaggeration of the Gospel authors and others in the first century? Or, can we embrace it as reality and stake our eternal destinies on it?
I think that’s a choice we make every day. We may go to church and have even taken classes to become members, baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, when I’m tired, alone, stressed, and feeling a bit hopeless, do I embrace eternal life as reality? It can be challenging, because there’s still a tremendous amount of the UNKNOWN involved. How will it happen? What will the process be like? But part of a deep spiritual journey is learning to be comfortable with the unknown, which is, when you think about it, a huge part of everyday life, as well.
A dear friend and I were recently talking about this, and he said, “The spirit must go on.” And that totally resonates with me. Some way, somehow, God and Jesus Christ will see to it that, emerging out of the dead, lifeless, decaying body, the spirit will mount wings and fly toward eternal love (God); and, instead of transitioning into nothingness, will blossom into a reality that transcends anything the earthly body has ever experienced.
Thought for the day: As the old hymn so joyfully declares, “‘Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus.”
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.