I remember Dr. Robert Smith preaching a sermon by this title at Beeson Divinity School. The title intrigued me. What is "forever" for?
My interest in the eschaton - God's ends, God's goals for his creation and for humanity, the crown of his creation - is no secret. It led me to go forever into debt to pursue two more years of study at Duke!
I received an email from a good friend, Glenda Duncan, a couple of weeks ago. Glenda is the church treasurer at Antioch Baptist Church in Jasper, Alabama and her husband, Dennis, is one of the deacons. A year ago in June Glenda's nephew, Daniel, died at the age of 5 from a brain tumor. He had just attended VBS at Antioch, where he learned of Peter walking to Jesus on the water, where he was disappointed that the girls defeated the boys for the third consecutive year in the penny drive for the missions offering. Glenda's brother and Daniel's father, Alan Goforth, had no idea that anything was wrong with Daniel. Daniel began vomiting on the Saturday after VBS. Doctors dismissed it as a stomach bug. After a weekend of vomiting and lethargy, Daniel was admitted to the hospital in Jasper where he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In route to Children's hospital in Birmingham, Daniel slipped into a coma, and died two days later - Wednesday, June 20.
Glenda's email contained a link to an article in Jasper's paper, The Daily Mountain Eagle, on the anniversary of his death. Glenda recalled Daniel comforting a crying classmate at VBS. Daniel's parents recalled Daniel's selflessness and protective instincts for his baby sister, Lauren. Most importantly, they shared their faith, the content of their faith - they would see their son again. "It makes heaven real," Tracie is quoted saying, commenting that her faith gives her the assurance that all is not lost.
The New Testament is quick to point out that humans instinctively believe death has the last word. However, God has the last word. "I am the resurrection and the life," Jesus spoke to Martha, whose brother Lazarus had died four days earlier.
In life, Daniel reflected the glory of God with his arms around a distraught child. In death, Daniel in spired the children of Antioch Baptist to collect $712.00 for Operation Kid to Kid, in pennies! In the resurrection, Daniel will be all that God ever intended him to be, reunitied with his parents, siblings, and family, shaped in the image of Christ, giving God glory forever with a life unbounded by death.
What's forever for? It is for life magnified, enhanced by the God who raises the dead, for the purpose of His glory, the glory that our God can undo death!
"How sweet it is to hold a newborn baby, and feel the pride and joy he gives. But greater still the calm assurance this child can face uncertain days because Jesus lives!" (from Bill and gloria Gaither "Because He Lives" in Baptist Hymnal, 1991, 448)
"When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun!" (from "Amazing Grace" in Baptist Hymnal, 1991, 330. Words to final verse anonymous.)
Grace and peace,
Tim
5 comments:
What I find most interesting about your latest post is the issue of suffering by an innocent child. I guess this leads more into theodicy than eschaton but I've always wondered why bad things happen to good people...in particular, children. As we are all children of God and He is our all powerful, all knowing and all loving father...why would He let his children suffer? As a father myself, I know that if I had the power to stop all bad things from happening to my children, then I would make certain that they lead a life without pain. Not trying to be pollyanna about life but something seems wrong when children suffer for no reason or tidal waves and hurricanes wipe out thousands of people at time. How does the Bible address these issues? I have had no luck in finding a good answer, on the contrary, books like Job and Hosea cause me great concern. What am I missing?
Truthseeker,
Thank you for your comment. There are so many things that I would like to say in response to your question. I don't have the time right now for all of them. However, I will try to do some posts in the near future on the subject. However, I think that theodicy is the issue at which each religion attempts to answer. Let me make three comments/recommendations and maybe your responses will help me think with greater clarity about the subject.
First, the problem with evil itself is that there is no explanation, or it would not be evil. Science attempts to explain it physiological causes (which do exist). Some conservative branches use the term "sin" as if it is a simple human choice. However, if we could give a simple explanation then evil would no longer be evil.
Second, what is God's role? Why does God refuse to simply intervene? These are questions that require more space, but I think this is where eschatology and theodicy are intricately connected in Jewish-Christian thought. God heard Jesus' prayer in the garden and answered (Heb. 5:5-7) after Jesus died, with resurrection. The story of the New Testament is that what happened to Jesus on Easter is the goal for all those who are "in Christ" (1 Cor. 15)
Finally, even if there was a rational explanation for pain, suffering, evil, it does not escape me that pain still "hurts." Natalie Grant's song "Held" touches on this. CS Lewis wrote two books about pain. One, The Problem of Pain attempts to provide a rational answer to the issue of suffering. However, his A Grief Observed, written following the death of his wife deals with the enormous hurt and wide range of emotions on the subject. I believe that both are necessary, the answer to the head, as well wrestling with the heart's response to pain.
I hope that these comments are not interpreted as "cheap." I, like you, wrestle with this issue daily. Maybe this is a good direction to take the blog. I would be interested in your responses.
Grace and peace,
Tim
I am interested in reading the C.S. Lewis books you mentioned...and hope to find the time soon. Just a quick comment relating to the ever after. It seems to me that Christians too often use this as an excuse for not "fixing" what's wrong with the world in which we live. Not that we can fix everything of course...but we could certainly do a better job as a whole in solving some of the worlds larger problems..such as hunger and poverty. Instead, we give God thanks each meal for blessing us with the implication that the starving child in Africa is unblessed???
Oh well...maybe the author of Ecclesiastes was right..."For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge the more grief." Maybe we should all just eat, drink and be merry:)
Truthseeker,
You are exactly right about how Christians have used Heaven as an excuse for not working for justice, equality, compassion for the poor, etc. What I hope to demonstrate/live in my own ministry, and for that matter, my own life, is that these two things - the problem of evil, Christian hope, and Christian ethics, are all intricately related in the Christian Story (at least the one told in Scripture.) Our "failure" to connect the Christian story of hope to the the church's mission in the present is a failure to read scripture. You mentioned Hosea, it is interesting to read how many indictments against Israel by God through Hosea, were issues of justice. Amos really tackles the issue.
Three things that I will expound on with posts:
1. We have read the story of Christian hope with much to be desired.
2. Justice is something that takes time. The cries of the African slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries are still answered. As MLK said before his assassination, "He has been to the mountain top and seen the promised land." Yet he reminded his followers that there was still a long way to go.
3. Though there are apparent signs of "progress" through the work of Christians and others, we won't bring in the kingdom. That will come by a decisive act of God in his time (Acts 1:6-8). However, that is all the more reason to be on mission rather than to sit back and rest.
Finally, thank you for your comments. Because without them, I would not be writing and thinking about these things with the concern for clarity that I have when someone asks. Thank you for spurring me on. That is what I hoped a blog would accomplish.
Grace and peace,
Tim
Hello,and yes it was a week full of joys,especially working with the kids durning VBS.I enjoyed every moment.
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