“Great BEYOND: Eternal Life”

(Rom 8:6-11; Jn 11:1-45) JG White ~ 10:30 am, Sun, March 22, 2026, FBC Amherst

I begin today the same way I did nine weeks ago. Imagine this: we open the doors in forty-five minutes, step outside this building, and see a beam of light. From the cold blue sky it seems to shine down, and down comes what must be an alien space ship, silvery and shining. It lands in Victoria Square and a door opens, facing us, as a couple strange beings immediately exit. They approach, and with translating technology, speak up. We have viewed other humans, but what are you? What is your purpose in this stone structure? What did you do inside, and why are you leaving now?

With trepidation, but some sudden bravery, how do you explain what is a Christian? Say what makes us different? Tell what is our unique behaviour? Or speak of how we compare with other religious humans, like Muslims, Hindus, Jews or Buddhists?

You might start with all sorts of things, of course. And we don’t expect to need to explain our Faith to aliens from another planet. But we need to be able to do so to other people. Some of whom are of other faith traditions in the world. Or those who have no faith experience. Or people who quit religion altogether at some point.

For nine weeks we have reviewed various practices of our Christian Faith. Today is the tenth and final in the series. We live with a sense of the eternal, of life beyond what we see here for 90 years. Everlasting life, life after death, the Great Beyond. 

We are two weeks away from celebrating life after death with the resurrection of Jesus, what we call Easter. It is pictured in the small window above the entry doors over there, with an angel at the empty tomb of Jesus. But today’s Gospel story is the famous one of a man named Lazarus who dies, and then is raised back to life by Jesus of Nazareth. The Church has kept this story alive, here in John’s Gospel, for all these centuries. Here we have Jesus say to the dead man’s sister, “I am the resurrection and the life.” 

But is what happens to Lazarus resurrection? I mean, he is alive again, after four days being dead. But he is back to normal life, and will die again, in his future, right? Read the next chapter of John, and remember that the chief Jewish priests plotted not only to kill Jesus but to kill Lazarus, since he was evidence of the miracles of Jesus. In this Gospel, John, the word miracle is not used. These special actions of Christ are called signs. They signify special things. About Jesus. So, without trying to figure out what is a resurrection, and what is resuscitation from the dead, let us simply soak in the story. The impact. The drama! 

Is our understanding of resurrection, of life beyond this life, a practice of the Christian Faith? At first we might say it is not something we do, it is something we believe or trust in. So many Christian hymns and songs of faith celebrate this eternity yet to come. As a future thing. 

Perfect rest to me is promised, in my Father’s house above. 

When I die, hallelujah, by and by, I’ll fly away. 

When I stand in glory, I will see His face.

            When we’ve been there then thousand years bright shining as the sun.

In our death a resurrection; at the last, a victory.

Yet the influence of our resurrection hope has an impact upon how we live our lives now. And, as Dallas Willard, or many other Christian teachers say, ‘eternity is in session now.’ It has begun. 

Today we read of Jesus saying, not ‘I will be the resurrection,’ but “I am the resurrection and the life.” Later on, in John 17, we will find Jesus praying, and He says of Himself, “This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent.” 

To know God; to know God by knowing Jesus Messiah - this is eternal life. Eternity is in session now. I like that. I rejoice in that. I want to live that, now. Be people of resurrection!

Sometimes it is said - I’ve had friends who say this - ‘hell is here on earth.’ Perhaps that is as true as saying eternal life starts here and now. I don’t want us to claim one without the other. 

Let me test you on this. Where is this quotation from? 

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..” 

The very first line of A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. Do you want to hear more of it?

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—[in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.]

To be a practicing Christian can be to live the resurrection now. One of my textbooks in Divinity College was called, Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony. It took some of its teaching from Hebrews chapter 11, where it says of people such as Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, that All these people died in faith without receiving the promises, but they saw the promises from a distance and welcomed them. They confessed that they were strangers and immigrants on earth. Oh, to find that New Testament balance of being in our world but not of the world.

We might go a bit too far when we say: 

This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through. 

But there is an element of knowing our citizenship is in what the Bible calls the heavens. (Philippians 3:20)

We are people of the resurrection. Eugene Peterson actually wrote a book with this title: Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing Up in Christ. In one way or another, you may be a person who has moments of living your life from the heavens, from God’s Kindom, with the eternal now in view. It is one of at least ten ways we Christians are Christian. 

Perhaps the poem Roy recited today, written by Ron DeMarco, could guide you. Love, Faith, Holy Spirit, Salvation, Prayer… such things might be your most important things about being a Christian. Take a look again at the cover image of the bulletin: the ten topics of the past few months. Think: what one or two or three are your most important activities as a Christian? And what practices have not been big in your life? Our strengths and gifts of faith are different from one another. 

Belonging in the church fellowship might be important to you, and this takes the Patience and Love DeMarco’s poem mentions. Your Baptism into Christ and the Church might be a touchstone for you of the steps you have taken with Jesus. Or right Behaviour in your morals and ethics and justice could be most important to you as a follower of the Way of Jesus. This demands some wisdom and strength. 

Like this, the work of Blessing All around you and serving others, giving of yourself, and sharing could be your main practices, which might take some of the courage from ‘heaven’s grocery store.’ Understanding might be a big value for you, as you seek to know the Holy Bible and be guided. For others, contact with the Holy Spirit and Prayerfulness are so important, in a life of Beseeching God and knowing God. 

A few people are like me and have Blessing God by worshiping together as the most important part of Christian practice, which is filled with song and praise, from the ‘grocery store.’ And like me you may have become a Christian in the evangelical tradition, which has a focus on Bringing Others to Jesus, into salvation, which relies upon faith and grace. Alongside this, many Christians thru all history have considered what we Believe, our world view, as the vital thing in our religion. Finally, one part of your beliefs might be the most important to you, trusting in God for the Great Beyond, eternal life, for yourself and for others who are gone. This brings peace and joy.

Can you see yourself in one or more of these ten categories? And think on how your Christian practice has changed as the years have gone by. Do you have a ‘growing edge’ in your Faith? We can be quite different from one another. Variety is the spice of faith. 

So, one of my running friends here in town is Persian, her family is from the Middle East. Her religious background is Muslim. What could my ‘elevator speech’ be to her, if she asked me, ‘What do you say is a Christian: what do you do?’ Well, what might I say? In 50 words or less?

As a Christian I understand there to be one Creator God, who people can relate to in a personal way via Jesus, as revealed in the Christian Bible. My practice is a lifestyle that includes prayer, worship and other spiritual practices, fellowship with other believers, and doing good in the world at large. 

Well, that was 53 words. You, you write your own. But more than this: you live your life with God. Don’t give up on what you have been doing. Remember, we have been given life, abundant life, by the Spirit of Jesus. Hosanna! Amen.