Something Real

".....That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in the earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

It is a fact of our nature that we human beings long for something worthwhile and lasting; something we always seem to have difficulty obtaining, an elusive longing, if you will. As a country caught up in excessive commercialism, we prove this every day. A sense of satisfaction or gratification is acquired from that new car or latest electronic gadget, but the feeling is temporary, so off we go to buy something else to feel good again. Yet there continues to exist in the entire human race a restlessness and dissatisfaction with much of our experience in this world. Some say that this is just the way things are and we should make the best of it. For one thing, this is a defeatist approach to life and not at all appealing. It amounts to submitting to circumstances we are unwilling to confront. This is not the only explanation to the situation we find ourselves in. Here’s a thought: What if this restlessness is meant to make us seek for something that we have not yet found which would give us the peace of mind and richness in spirit we do not yet know?

You see my friends, our want for the good and beautiful , that which is satisfying and fulfilling, is real, yet we can easily become attached to objects or experiences that betray these desires.

As the Book of Ecclesiastes clearly states, looking for real and lasting happiness and fulfillment from the things of this world is not possible, because we were created for something greater than anything the earth can offer.

And because we were made for something far greater than this passing world we should expect to find that nothing created or made with human hands could ever really satisfy us. If we have been made to enjoy the riches of heaven why do we expect to find true fulfillment with what the world has to offer?

If one thinks this through the outcome presents a very logical conclusion, and that is, since life in this world is not perfect nor utopian, that very experience, evidenced almost daily, should point to something beyond, and defies not only our understanding but quite out of our reach. In other words: why do so many people look for eternal happiness in a world too imperfect to provide it?

Therefore, we live in anticipation, not fulfillment. Right now as we sit here and read this, there are children in diapers dying from cancer, people from all walks of life and every age level, in hospitals suffering from devastating illnesses, the madness of wars, insane dictators, and morally corrupt political leaders, wife beaters and child molesters; there is nothing fulfilling about these, because they are products of our fallen nature, proof of man’s depravity.

Yet, joy in this life is certainly achievable. And it is gained by people who have the attitude necessary to experience it. A negative person, may never experience joy; neither will the person who lives in denial about certain realities in this life, old age and death are two that spring to mind. The live forever industry - cosmetics and all manner of quackery- is around 100 billion and counting.

Tragically, living like this is to experience more of what hell has to offer than anything heaven like. The joy we can know on earth is like an anticipation of something greater. It would be like drawing aside a curtain and allowing us a glimpse into the most wonderful of worlds.

In response to this longing for something better and beyond our reach in this life, science offers us an explanation. They call it the projection theory. We project our longings and desires and give them a reality they do not really possess. It is argued that the longing for immortality or eternal life, hopefully in God’s heaven, leads us to invent the idea of eternality with God. These are a means we devise to console and comfort ourselves, a drug or false sense of faith we created to ease our pain. This is the projection theory that we have fallen into a habit of projecting our hopes onto some imaginary supernatural entity.

The Scriptures have much to say about this. Her is one example: The moment after our Lord’s death on the cross the New Testament reports the following: “The Curtain of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. There was an earthquake, the rocks split and the graves opened, and many of God’s saints were raised from sleep; and coming out of their graves after his resurrection they entered the holy city where many saw them.” (Matthew 27:51-512) Think about what you just read: Those whom God worked through in the Old Testament, the Saints, Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joseph, Sarah, Easter, Ruth, etc. They rose from the dead and walked around Jerusalem. They spoke to and interacted with the city’s inhabitants.

These things didn’t happen in a vacuum. They occurred in full view of witnesses. To say they did not happen is to say the biblical record is a fraud. The entire Christian Church is a fraud. But the Gospel presents evidence of the supernatural, a power beyond the understanding of our limited minds experienced by countless witnesses, people like us. But, this is too fantastic to accept, by far too many people who need to cultivate more faith.

Soon, on Palm Sunday, we will read of Christ entering into the city of David on a burro. What in fact was taking place was far more than some prophet going for a Sunday ride astride his donkey. The Palm Sunday people knew without any doubt whatsoever who it was they were welcoming. They knew the scriptures and the prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah, the one who would bring newness of life and everlasting peace. And it gave them great faith just to know it; and it fueled their faith, an informed faith, a faith this world can never bring about. They said as much with the words which they shouted with great joy, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest. Which is just another way of saying, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father. The true source of all that is good and beautiful, satisfying and fulfilling and everlasting. Amen to that.

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