Eternal Life Starts Now
When we think about eternal life why do we always jump to life after death or heaven. What if we reconsider eternal life as more about quality of life than a quantity...a life that starts now in God's presence.
Dear Circle of Hope,
“And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” - John 17:3
Last weekend in our gatherings we considered the idea of eternal life. I wonder what comes to mind for you when you hear that phrase…eternal life. For many people hearing the phrase eternal life somehow launches us immediately to thoughts about what happens after we die. Reasons for this are many but mainly based on historical understandings and uses of the phrase to talk about life after death or heaven. Jesus often spoke about eternal life and in the scripture passage we considered on the weekend he says that eternal life is about knowing God.
For Jesus eternal life isn’t as much about quantity of life but quality. If eternal life is about knowing God then it is relational. At its core, eternal life is about connecting with the Divine and living out a life that expresses this connection. This is about living a life of love that we are invited into now, not just in the hereafter when we die. In history Christians have often allowed eternal life to colour our experience of the here-and-now. But Jesus’ teachings offer another understanding: eternal life is not about time, it’s about relationship with God. Eternal life begins in the now and as was the case for Jesus, is explored in a profound intimacy of relationship with God. For me, considering the idea of eternal life brings the idea of hope into the present. It is an invitation to living each and every moment of our lives in God’s presence. This is eternal life.
May you explore the idea of eternal life in this day and in tomorrow and in all of your tomorrows, as you journey deeper into the heart of God.
Thank you for being part of our Circle of Hope.
Grace and peace,
Phil