This present life
by Pastor Peter Bean
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Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day (John 6:54).
Do you live in the present? Or perhaps you long for the past – the good old days? Or do you have hopes for the future? Each could be said to be important in its own way.
I am fascinated by the use of the present tense in Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John. John 6:54 is but one example of numerous times Jesus says, ‘you have eternal life’. Often, beliefs or actions are attached to his statement. But it is constantly a real thing, a present action, something people can grab hold of. We have often tended to talk about the future hope or the reign of the kingdom to come. But Jesus here seems to be saying something different.
There is also the use of the words ‘I am …’ by Jesus in this gospel. You are probably familiar with them. I am the bread of life, the light of the world, the gate, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the vine, the way, truth and life and in John 6:51, I am the living bread.
It seems to me Jesus is making a point. Faith, grace and living with Christ is not something in the future alone. It is not pie in the sky but a living reality. Even Paul picks this up when he says, ‘for me to live is Christ’.
Enjoy your memories – they are important to who you are. Look with confidence and hope to the future – there are bright times ahead. But live in the present grace of God, spoken to you and demonstrated for you in the person of Jesus and refreshed in you daily by the Holy Spirit. Believe in Christ. Enjoy life!
Lord Jesus, we worry about things we have done in the past; we get anxious about the future. Reassure us, Jesus, with your words of grace: ‘you have eternal life’. Amen.
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