THE service at Crediton Methodist Church on Sunday, March 22 was led by Lloyd Smale when his theme was “Mortality in View?”

Ezekiel was exiled to Babylon around 597BC and is about 30 years old when called to be a prophet.

He was entrusted with a prophetic vision – a valley of dry bones.

The passage conjures up a kaleidoscope of pictures as the bones are transformed. Why give bones flesh, sinew, life and breath? The word of God to Ezekiel was “then you will know that I am the Lord”.

The prophetic vision was for an exiled people who were fed up, having lost hope they felt they might as well be dead!

God said see and hear what I the Lord can do – dry bones can yet live – periods of exile end, my grace is all sufficient. Hope is not to be given up. My promises are delivered, guaranteed!

The exiled people came to know all this when resettled in their homeland – God spoke, did what He said and they knew again that “I am” was their God. Something for us here as we ponder our own experiences of hopelessness or sense of mortality – it is all trumped by God’s word of hope and promises.

This leads to our Gospel reading – a very human account of a family dealing with illness, death and bereavement.

Amidst this family in crisis there was Jesus who, whilst sharing deeply human emotions, said of himself “I am the resurrection and the life” and who demonstrated the truth of who He was and the veracity of His promises by raising Lazarus from the dead – opening the tomb, calling Lazarus by name (like the shepherd He is) and out came Lazarus.

Jesus instructed the grave clothes be removed. It was very public and it was clear that the raising of Lazarus was a demonstration of God’s power and authority!

Plenty for us to take in from this, as also from those dry bones transformed – our true God is a life-giving God and truth is demonstrated by His word in action!

The disciples were with Jesus when word of Lazarus being ill reached them and Jesus said “let’s go”.

Shortly before in Judea the Jews tried to stone Jesus and the disciples thought it best not to risk it – their shared mortality was in view.

Jesus said – “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies, whoever lives and believes in Me will never die”.

All this is more than we can take in. Clearly physical death happens – this is as much part of a Christian’s experience as it is for everyone.

Jesus is saying a relationship with Him involves us believing in Jesus being who He has revealed himself to be and trusting Him and His promises implicitly.

Believing in Jesus means accepting everything that Jesus said as absolutely true – He is the Saviour of the world, we need forgiveness of sins.

Rightness with God is dependent on Him and is found in Him. We are to give ourselves to Him and depend upon Him and the truth He reveals about God is found in Him.

All this leads to a new relationship with God. We can be sure of God’s love for us and His eagerness to hold us close and to dwell in His house forever.

All this focus in Jesus and the sureness of God’s love leads to a new relationship with life, for in knowing we are perfectly loved we are starting over, freed from fears, frustrations, and hopelessness of a life lived apart from God.

This life is eternal and spans both earth and heaven. Believing in Jesus as the “resurrection and the life” builds confidence within ourselves that the life, love and relationship we are experiencing now seamlessly continues across the separation between our mortal temporal lives and our spiritual eternal lives.

We can sometimes be very aware of our mortality – age creeps up on us – bodily frailties are exposed and slow us down.

If we are not watchful we can find ourselves burdened by worry and anxiety. BUT we are in a relationship with Jesus, with God and with the Holy Spirit. The word of God is this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” John 3.16

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in Me” John 14.1

“He will wipe away every tear from your eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” Revelation 21.4

“In my Father’s house are many rooms, if it were not so I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also might be where I am” John 14.1-3

All this and more if we just believe in Jesus as our “resurrection and life” and that everything that He has said about God is true.

There is no need for us to fear our mortality or to live without hope, for eternity is in view and it blends seamlessly with our here and now. – remember the transfiguration when earth (the temporal) combined with heaven (the eternal).

Jesus met with Moses and Elijah and the disciples saw the stamp of God’s DNA on Jesus as His appearance was changed but still they recognised Him.

Remember on Easter morning that Mary encountered Jesus risen from the dead, and heard Jesus speak her name recognising Him and each known by the other.

Remember Peter, whilst fishing, saw a man on the shore who directed them where to cast their net for the best catch, Peter saw it was the risen Jesus and once to shore they found He had prepared a fish breakfast – they were provided for.

These glimpses offer us reassurance that beyond what we call death, there is something more - Jesus gives us glimpses of heaven, of the eternal life of which He speaks – providing to us and to all an antidote to any fear of mortality.

Both here, now and hereafter the word of God to us is: we are expected; we are welcomed; we are known and recognised; we are reunited; we are at perfect peace; we are in God’s presence and we are loved.

All this declared by Jesus who says of Himself “I am the resurrection and the life, believe in me”.

His words and actions are to be believed absolutely, they are to us life and health, they fortify the soul. No heart need be troubled by a sense of mortality, or be without hope, for faith as small as a mustard seed does not go unrewarded and will see our communion with God in Christ on earth sustained by Him throughout our earthly life, be it long or short.

Thanks be to God that He is close at hand. May our prayer be that we and all people will draw near to Him and believe in Jesus, trusting that God will do all things and no plans of His will be thwarted.

Bronwyn Nott

Crediton Methodist Church