Advent 1

Advent 1 (Luke 21:25-36)

Heaven and Earth will pass away; but, My words will not pass away.”

Only two things in this world will endure. They are God’s Word and your soul. All other things will pass away. All other things are subject to the law of entropy and decay. Nothing in this world is as it was. Nothing in this world will remain the same.

You, however, will continue. Our Heavenly Father created our species and each of us individually for eternal life in a forever friendship with God the Son. When we as a species chose to separate from God we also separated from the meaning and purpose of life. We did not and cannot annul the design God wove into our souls.  There once was a time when you did not exist. You were born into a moment of time. There will never be a time when you cease to exist. You are designed to exist forever. How that forever manifests is our choice.

Jesus came to restore souls lost in separation into reunion with the Father by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The damage of original separation results in the death of our bodies. It does not annihilate our souls. Jesus offers to restore to us the life we so foolishly abandoned. That life is abundant and it is forever.

No one who is born can escape physical death. No one who is born and dies will cease to exist. If you are born once you will die twice. The first death is physical death that brings an end to the body. The second death is the state of a soul that persists in separation from God. It is a state of despair and pride. Through pride the soul refuses to enter into God’s rest. Through despair the soul laments the loss of earthly pleasures.

If you are born twice you die once. If you are born again in Christ through the waters of baptism you are grafted into the Body of Christ. You are one with him. His eternal life now sustains you. Upon the death of your physical body you are instantly in his presence. He prepares you for the Day of Resurrection when He will give you a new and more substantial body to enjoy the Great Mystery and the Greater Adventure of his forever friendship.

Your life in the here and now is formed by your choice. Your life in the hereafter is also formed by your choice. The Fountain of Grace is freely available for all to taste and drink to the fullest they desire. The Gates of Heaven are twelve giant luminescent pearls that are always open. God turns no one away from his love. God imposes his love on no one. One of my teachers once said: all who seek the truth find the truth and they find it in Jesus Christ. C.S. Lewis wrote: all seek love find love and some who seek love will be delightfully surprised to discover they were seeking Jesus all of the time.

God’s word is eternal. You are not eternal but Go did design you to live forever with the co-eternal Word of God incarnate in Jesus Christ. How you live out your forever is your choice. The meaning and purpose of forever is love. Love is always a choice. Choose wisely. Choose Jesus.