Eastertide

May 20, 2023

Scripture Reading: John 17:1-11

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. John 17:1-5

I have always felt deep in my heart that after we die, we spend eternity with God, and that is all that matters regarding life after death. I fall in the category of those who need to do as much as I can to finish the work that God gave me to do while here on earth. For some reason, I do believe in a final judgment. That is why I think it is important to keep in touch with God in everything I do along the way. I have conducted exit interviews when people I supervised when they retired. Mostly, those were remembrance meetings, reviewing lessons learned, and actions modified as well as the work accomplished. My goal for a judgment procedure would be something like that.

Of one thing I am sure, God wants the very best for all his children and all humans are God’s children. God sent Jesus to model a way of being that actualizes the command to love God and love one another, sent Christ to restore our souls when we choose the wrong path, and sent the Holy Spirit to guide us in setting our steps toward what is right and what is needed.

Prayer

Thank you Lord, for saving my soul
Thank you Lord, for making me whole;
Thank you Lord, for giving to me
Thy great salvation so rich and free*. Amen.

*Thank you Lord, for saving my soul, written by Seth and Bessie Sykes

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.