In one church I pastored,
we had a whole passel of “lost boys,” boys who came to church on their own,
without family. They sat together in one row. They were remarkable evangelists.
Many interesting people came to church just to sit with them. One Sunday, both
Queen Elizabeth and Pete Rose sat with them, according to the attendance pad we
asked everyone to sign.
In high school physics
class, those boys were learning this: “Time exists only where there is mass in
motion.” [You’ll understand this segue later. Maybe.]
Two days ago I mentioned
that John Wesley thought a future life of rewards and punishments, after death,
was an essential for Christian faith. I think there was a design flaw there. He
and most other people think there must be some life after life, but we are so
fixated in this life on rewards and punishments that we can’t consider a future
life without them.
So we decide that since
heaven and hell after death are not likely, we assume there is no life after death.
But the point of future
life is future life, not rewards or punishments.
This bodily life stops
when we have no time left. Our mass is no longer in motion. Instead it is in a
box in the ground or in an urn on the mantle. But does life stop just because
that particular mass is no longer in motion? And maybe it has nothing to do
with mass. Maybe it’s all about the time. That in the life after life, the
future life, or whatever we call it, the point is that there is no time rather
than no mass.
That’s what we call
eternal life, life without mass in motion, life without time. The absence of
mass in motion, the absence of “time,” does not mean there is no life.
That’s why Jesus can talk
with Moses and Elijah at the same time on the mount of transfiguration-time is
suspended.
Are you confused yet? I
certainly am. All I’m trying to say is that just because we can’t comprehend
what it might mean does not at all mean there is no life after death. So you’d
better sign that attendance pad at church so they’ll know who you are when you
get there.
JRMcF
johnrobertmcfarland@gmail.com
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