ETERNITY AWAITS

Sunday: 10th November, 2019

Reference : 2 Maccabees 7:12, 9-14

Jonathan Edwards once said ‘God, stamp eternity on my eyeballs’. In effect, keep me gazing intently in hope towards my time with you.

Today’s first reading tells the story of seven brothers and their mother who were arrested and tortured for refusing to break the law of God. During their torture, each of them gave a sermon. In the short sentences they spoke, they sounded like people who had no care; no fear of impending pain or suffering. Instead, they seemed like people looking forward to a new beginning, to another world with great hope. A hope could not have been carved out by fear but rather born out of clear conviction.

For many of us, the mention of death and judgement, hell or heaven sets up a cascade of events that brews fear, but that is hardly the intention. One of the theologians of the church said

“Because most modern christians don’t take the last things seriously: death, judgement, heaven and hell, we are less purposeful and less committed about doing extraordinary things for Christ, the church and the world.

Beloved, there is another stage after this one, but like all events, one first has to clear the current stage they are on bearing in mind that there is another one. Most of the time also, to get to the next stage, you have to give your all in the current. So how are you living out your now in anticipation for eternity? Seriously, how are you doing so?

#sly