More Beyond

In preparing to lead a memorial service for my friend Rev. Herb Meza, I read an Easter sermon that he had written entitled, “More Beyond.” In this sermon, Herb reflected on the eternal dimensions of our faith. He noted that if our eyes are open, there are all kinds of hints pointing to something more beyond us. He wrote about how science has discovered that there is a tremendous range of colors beyond what the eye can see; there are scales of octaves way above and below what the ear can hear; And there are discoveries in the field of physics that stretch the imaginations of even the greatest scientists.

He went on to write this:

“Everywhere we turn there are hints that there is more. Hints of life and power and energy.

“But even if there were no hints, there is that instinct within humans that points to more…. Pascal once said that God had planted this instinct in our very souls and no matter how much we try to disbelieve it, it keeps creeping up and out when we come face-to-face with the mystery of death… Easter is the triumphant affirmation of something we have never proved but instinctively know…. That our little world of time and space is but a small fragment of something much larger than we can perceive with our eyes, or hear with our ears, or touch with our senses…”

In his sermon, he went on to reflect on how death seems scary, but in reality it might be more like a birth. Near the very end of the sermon, Herb got very personal about the Christian hope of what lies beyond:

“I believe that one day every bruise, every cancer cell, every blind eye, every limp and every lump will be set right. One day every embarrassment and every rejection and every hurt we have suffered will give way to glory. I do not know how God will deal with all the shabbiness, failures and betrayal. It surely must hurt God, but I know God is loving and forgiving. One day, every moment of hoping against hope will be rewarded.”

Let us pray: We are grateful, Loving God, that in life and in death we belong to you. Help us to trust your healing, forgiving, embracing grace; now and always. Amen.