"The Promise of Listening" - John 10:22-30 - May 6, 2001

Last weekend Lin and I spent some time in one of our favorite places, the Smokey Mountains. For us it is very relaxing and we really enjoy the peaceful surroundings. When we go there we like to stay in a cabin in the mountains which is about two miles from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We can sit on the porch with a view of the mountains and enjoy the birds and wildlife.

To get there you take Mill Creek Road which is somewhat remote. You pass farms, cabins and a few homes snuggled in the side of the hills. About half way there is a home which is surrounded by pastures. They raise sheep and they normally graze by the road. But for some reason we didn’t see them this year. We wondered if they had sold them or perhaps they were hiding in the woods. Or perhaps, God forbid, they had all died from some disease.

On Sunday morning I went down the mountain to get a newspaper. As I approached the pasture I noticed that the sheep were there, lazily grazing by the roadside. This reminded me of this passage in John when Jesus said, "My sheep will never perish." For us the sheep on Mill Creek Road are a familiar site during our stay in the mountains. Their presence by the roadside that morning was a welcoming experience. It is part of the familiarity of our home away from home in the mountains. Its as if they have become part of us and to see them every year is very reassuring.

I believe we take life for granted. We are so busy, working, playing, trying to make a living that we lose sight of God’s presence in our midst. Its not until something is missing that we realize how valuable or meaningful that something really is. The words, "My sheep will never perish," has a new profoundness for me. God is saying to me that those sheep along Mill Creek Road will always be there. They will be a significant part of my life, not just in this life but in the one to come.

I associate those sheep with our experience in the mountains. And for Lin and I our times in the mountains are like heaven on earth. Allow me to illustrate. Every morning I had the opportunity to be in a totally quiet place with a view of the mountains. The only sounds were birds singing, bees buzzing or squirrels scampering through the trees. The leaves were blowing from a gentle breeze and the sky was vividly blue. The temperature was about 75 degrees. My wife sat in a chair nearby reading a novel while I sipped lemonade and all the while sitting in a hot tub, with the water swirling around me. My friends, it simply does not get any better than that!

For Lin and I this was "heaven on earth." For some this may sound a bit hedonistic as we indulged in a genuine retreat from our busy lives back home. But, I believe that a retreat to the mountains is justifiably refreshing. For a few days we gave ourselves permission to relax and be one with God and God’s creation. We listened to sounds, that on any other day back home we would routinely ignore, like the singing of birds, or the rustling waters of a creek. You can’t help but feel closer to God in natural surroundings and close to that special someone in your life with absolutely no agenda and no interruptions.

What I find amazing is the fact that this experience is only minor in comparison with what is to come. Jesus also said, "I give my sheep eternal life." What does he mean by eternal life? The Greek words are zoe aionios. That is translated as "the life of the age to come." For some it means the immortality of the soul. For others it means life in a heavenly place. For me it means an eternal existence in a dimension that transcends life as we know it. That is to say a dimension, whereby others, including many of you, especially my wife and loved ones, will be known to me in a very unique way and not just temporarily but forever.

Unfortunately I don’t believe that the Church has fully claimed this promise. We rarely talk about it, or when we do there doesn’t seem to be a lot of enthusiasm. Yet, it is basic to what makes us different from the rest of the world.

I believe each individual has the freedom to interpret heaven based on their own experience. For me eternal life will become possible because of the "oneness" I feel with God. When Jesus said, "I and the Father are one," he was demonstrating that eternal life has to do with our relationship with God, in the present. The more connected we are with God the more able we are to realize the possibility of a life that never ends.

One morning, during our mountain retreat, I turned on the television to catch up on the news and weather. I did what all normal males do; flip through the channels to see what was on. Our satellite television system, (roughing it in the mountains isn’t what it used to be) had HBO. The movie "Home Alone" was on and I decided to view it awhile. I had forgotten about that great scene in the church where Kevin and the old neighbor man next door had a conversation. Their conversation was about love and forgiveness. Kevin was feeling unloved by his family and the old man was feeling alienated from his. It was a very touching scene as this young boy and old man bonded because of the loneliness they were experiencing.

I can’t honestly say what I expect from Jesus’ promise of eternal life. Like many of you I too wonder just what sate of existence follows this one. I am convinced, however that love has something to do with it. Jesus was instructing his followers that those who don’t listen are not his sheep because of their inability to love. Listening and doing go hand in hand. Salvation has its source in God’s love (as in John 3:16f).

The promise of everlasting life is made during the Feast of Dedication. For me this was no coincidence. Jesus was determined to replace the traditional understanding or practice of making ritualistic sacrifices to God on the altar with a personal commitment to listening, following and doing "works." In other words, piety is replaced with love of neighbor. To be one with God is made possible through love. Love is the driving force that creates that "oneness."

There once was a young woman who had a baby boy. Just after her son’s baptism, a ragged old man came to her, and offered to grant her one wish on behalf of her son. Thinking only the best for her baby, the woman wished that her son would always be loved by everyone he met. The old man said, "so be it," and vanished. It turned out just as he said.

As the boy grew, everyone loved him so much that he never lacked for anything. Yet, things did not turn out as expected. As adored and admired as the young man was, he experienced a terrible emptiness within him. He could have anything he wanted, just by asking, but he had no real friends. He never knew the joy of a day’s work or an achievement, richly rewarded. His neighbors took care of all his needs. The young man became cynical, jaded and selfish as none of his actions ever brought him any negative consequences.

Finally, the day came when his aged mother died. At the funeral, the same mysterious old man appeared and offered the young man one wish. The young man took him up on his offer and asked that his mother’s original wish for him be changed. Rather than being loved by everyone he met, the young man asked the old wizard to give him the power to love everyone he met. And, the story goes, from that day forward he knew happiness such as no one on this earth has ever known.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio