C'mon God, pitch to us

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051017.cfm
ACTS 12:24—13:5A
JN 12:44-50

Are we sure there’s an eternal life? It sounds pretty terrific. Game changing, in fact. If we could be convinced that an unending, incredible future lies before us, that would reset everything we do, right?

If only it were true. 

How can anyone be certain, though? In a world where everyone and everything dies — from amoeba to planets — the evidence appears in death’s favor, not eternity’s. If life after death is true, then death must be temporary. But who could believe this? Where’s the life after death data?

When Jesus speaks of light and darkness in John’s gospel he’s comparing good and evil as choices. Both seem to attract us, though, because they both look good. How are we to know the difference? What distinguishes a walk down the road of life, and a headfirst dive into the grave? We seem to be doing them at the same time.

Unfortunately, the difference between the two —  good and evil — wavers. The following are arguably all good things: the technology, the arts, the cuisine, the comforts, the entertainment, the treasures, the competition, the rivalries, the success, the domination, the knowledge, and all the creative construction, the many beauties …. We want all of them. 

Which are light and which are darkness?  Where does good turn into evil? To put it another way, where does the light attract us and the darkness steal us away?

The world reveals its pleasures. The markets of the world call to us. Billboards, internet, sales pitches. They constantly flash and beep and float in front of us. God, too, must be revealing his pleasures to us. I see churches, and get some brochures, but where’s the big sales pitch from God? How does the almighty compete with the all weighty ways?

It comes down to relationship and trust. Who do we know, and who can we trust? We waffle between the world’s pitchmen and God’s? They are not a easy choice. Pitchmen all sound the same, urgent and excited. Their arguments position the same formulae of delights and warnings. They yank our chains, bleating warnings that might just be perverse twists, or soothing emotional tugs that sound preposterous yet prophetic. 

Some delights are good and bad, like donuts. Which pitch, though, will bring us to the light and steer us from the dark? Who can we trust to teach us the truth, and invite us to God?

We should be able to trust someone more than somebody like us. If you ran into yourself, would you listen? Maybe. We need someone completely trustworthy. 

We need almighty God, himself. No substitute can meet such a majestic muster. God must know that. The creator himself certainly realizes that he must stop us where we are, sit us down, get our undivided attention, and speak to us. What else could be true? Nobody else carries the weight and worthiness of God. 

The only way we can believe in an eternal life would be for the one who built this place — indeed, built our very selves — to explain it to us. We need the architect and general contractor of the universe to step up and hold a seminar. Invite us to dinner, and wow us. We want to understand how it is that life and death conflict with each other. Explain to each of us how to recognize good, and avoid evil.  After the seminar we should be able to make a personal appointment.

Most importantly, in order to choose light over darkness, we need to be assured that life, in fact, conquers death. At the root of our choosing, we require a certified, clarified, fully grasped knowledge and understanding that we indeed are going to live forever.

We can wave signs and holler at each other until the sun goes down, but the only convincing truth requires a conversational, interacting, and communicative God. The builder needs to personally explain to us the difference between life and death, and tell us how to choose life.   

Some tactile set of tools, communication, and intersessions from the contractor of our earth needs to be available at our every juncture, whether we turn left or right. We need God to take on many forms, apply many methods, and operate in many venues. God must be maintenance man, counselor, friend, brother and sister, Father and Mother.

If God is real, and God is going to follow through with a life eternal, God could do all that.

Well ....

Some believe that the scriptures do that for us. They say the words of scripture come to us as the words of God, and they point out that God confirms it. We just have to search scripture for how God tells us to choose life over death. Then, we have to listen to the God speak in the scriptures.

Some believe that the person of Jesus — his catalogued history of life here — tells us everything we need to know in the gospel message. He was sent by the Father to save the world. He said to celebrate the Eucharist in his memory, and he will live in us. He said to eat his body and blood. So, we have to listen to Jesus. 

Some believe that the Father is the source of our eternal life. He is the one that sent Jesus to us. Jesus said he does not speak on his own, so what he says is what the Father told him. Obviously, then, if we listen to Jesus, we are listening to the Father. Again, we should listen to Jesus.

Some believe that before he died, and also before his ascension, Jesus told his followers that he would give us another Advocate, very much like himself. In fact, his actual self. Jesus asked the Father to send his Spirit, to be with us always. This is the Holy Spirit. We should listen to the Holy Spirit, and follow his leading.

Some believe that the Holy Spirit gathers us as Church, where we feed and shepherd each other under the guidance of the advocate. The Spirit speaks to us all, together, weaving us as a tapestry, forming us as a collective, engaging us as friends and family. With the Holy Spirit we are fixed in an unbreakable union, under the wings of a loving God. We should listen to our Church, and live and love together as one body.

Some believe that the Communion of Saints shouts to us in cosmic, heavenly prayers. Mary and the Saints intercede for us, call to us, and even appear to us. They act in concert with the Angels whom God has assigned as our warriors, our guardians, and our caretakers. We should listen to the Saints.

So, which of these things are true?

Has the builder done any of these things and sat us down, got our attention, and spoken to us?

If any of the above things are true, the answer is yes. One of these must be true.

If two of them are true, then God is very serious about making the difference of light and darkness clear to us. Surely, two of them are true. That's darn important.

If all of them are true, then the marketing machine of the world should have no power over us. This collection of beliefs would be overwhelming. It's quite likely, according to the Creed, voiced by practically every denomination, non-denomination, and orthodox religious expression, that each of these beliefs are wholly true, in every aspect.

We have the words of God, the example of Jesus, the commands of the Father, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have the Church, the saints, and the angels. We have a plethora of data, relationships, sound teaching, and even armed warriors at our side. 

How could we be confused? It makes no sense.

According to our creed, God has held the seminar for the ages, provided the meal no one would want to miss, and opened a personal, exclusive, continual running appointment book for each of us. He surrounds us with himself. The universe cries out his authority. The cells of our world and the fibers of his followers project his love with a power that makes grace the most intense property in existence.

With everything that he tells us, every way that he says it, and with everyone that he has convinced, why in holy dickens do we wonder about eternity and doubt that God will help us get there?