The End

The END is the “meat” of the lessons and readings during the month of November, when we consider those truly unappealing subjects – sin, repentance, death, heaven and hell. The End is Nigh was usually the writing on the cartoon religious fanatic’s billboard. But it IS. The END is nigh. None of us knows when our own END will arrive, but one day it will. More and more there are discussion groups which deal with this subject, allowing people to talk and debate about what The End might be. Gravetalk is one which we have run in this Benefice and will be doing so again very soon; coffee, cake and questions such as, “What will people remember you for?”, “Has your life made any difference to other people?”, “What is your favourite hymn? “.

A famous question asked of Jesus was “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”. Do? There’s nothing we can DO to win or earn eternal life – that comes as a free gift from our loving God, but I guess if we are truly disciples of God, seeing the world, other people, and ourselves as He sees us, caring for it and them, and maybe losing a bit of our own self-importance, maybe we’ll be blessed recipients of that gift. The person who asked the question of Jesus chose not to follow Him, but turned back to his own wealth and importance, believing those fleeting things to be of greater worth.

You and I might ask that same question, and we are given the same challenge by Jesus; follow ME. Watch out that you have not set up false gods which get between you and God, the giver of eternal life.