LITURGY

Fourth Sunday of Easter

WORD OF GOD
What we are to be in the future
has not yet been revealed;
all we know is, that when it is revealed
we shall be like him
because we shall see him as he really is.
(I John 3:2)
 

WORD FOR TODAY
What are we here for? What’s the point of life? Why try to be good when others seem to profit from doing evil? These are just some of the questions that every Christian asks at some time or another. What will happen to us after death? Today St John tells us that we will share in the glorious risen life of Jesus and see God face to face. Of course, you may prefer something different.
 

WORDS FOR WORSHIP
Lord Jesus, you are the stone rejected by the builders that has become the cornerstone:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are the image of the unseen God whom one day we will look upon face to face:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, wipe away our sins and lead us like a shepherd into pastures of eternal life.
Amen.
 

FAITH IN FOCUS: A BETTER OFFER?
A well-known American preacher, Eugene Walsh, once finished off his sermon with the remarkable words, “Jesus only promises you two things: Your life has a meaning. And you’re going to live forever. If you get a better offer, take it!”
Much copied by other preachers who disguise them to try and make them their own, these few sentences seem to sum up the whole business of faith in Jesus. They encapsulate the Easter message in a simple and direct way.
So what was Jesus’s body like after the resurrection and what is the afterlife like? What will happen to us and will we meet those loved ones who have died before us? Will we see God or will it be total blackout?
People with no faith ask the same questions and they often are left with the desperate trek to mediums and spiritualists who claim to contact the dead and to offer comfort and solace to the bereaved. No matter how many times this practice is exposed as a sham, people still turn up in the hope of “getting through” to the other side.
St John was aware of all these questions that people ask. The difference for him was that he had an unshakeable faith that Jesus had conquered death and had offered that same glorious post-resurrection life to those who believe in him. He says that what we are to become in the future has not yet been revealed.
So if your life has a meaning, then it is that you were made for love. Made to be loved by God who like a shepherd guides you into a life that will reap benefits. You are made to love others and to have that love returned. Your life’s purpose is to grow in knowledge of God and the wonderful universe created for our delectation. You are here to learn how to serve God by serving others, to enjoy life to the full and at the end to join God in the unfathomable happiness that no ear has heard nor eye seen.
This is the promise that the Easter season brings. So, as the man said, if you get a better offer...
 

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