Out Of This World
by Paul Zukunft, Elder
John 12:23-26 “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me.”
We have arrived at our Holy Week, and in five days will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who rescued us from sin. In our Scripture passage, Jesus explains why He must die and also calls upon us to serve Him. When I first read this passage many decades ago as a teenager in high school, I was troubled with the notion that anyone who loves their life will lose it. At that time, I was clearly living in the HOV lane of worldly person with a love for life. Here’s my story.
My nickname in high school was “Jock” since I lettered in three varsity sports all four years. I was the football quarterback, all-state baseball pitcher, team captain, class president, and graduated at the top of my class. There’s a clear distinction between being confident in one’s abilities and being arrogant, and I clearly fell into that latter category. A man very much of this world.
Fast forward to 2013. While riding my bicycle in Oakland, CA, I was hit from behind by a panel truck driving in excess of 50 miles per hour. I was launched horizontally like a missile, and my head made first impact with a chain link fence that split my helmet in half. As I laid there with a pool of blood gathering around me and still conscious, I praised God for the many gifts He had bestowed upon me, particularly my wife Fran, our children and grandchildren, family, and friends. And, if it was God’s will to be done, I was ready to serve Him for eternal life. It brought back images of my favorite movie It’s A Wonderful Life, where George Bailey experiences a world into which he had never been born. The many seeds that had flourished from that one kernel of wheat. And like George Bailey, I was fortunate to have had a positive impact on many lives and live again.
As we look at the world we live in today, surrounded by the devastation of a pandemic, the slaughter of innocent civilians, food and financial insecurity, a global climate that is becoming less hospitable to mankind, homelessness and divisiveness, you might ask, “What’s there to love?”
The answer is quite simple, and it is out of this world through our love for the Lord our Savior, Jesus Christ. This Lenten season has drawn us closer to Him by putting our worldly concerns aside; by being Christ-centered and not self-centered; and by serving others with a joyful heart. These are the attributes of someone who “hates” their life in this world and will keep it for eternal life.
Prayer: Lord, we too often find ourselves consumed by the troubles of this world that surround us and place our needs and wants at the forefront in defiance of the prayer You taught us to say. We are thankful for the many and unique gifts that You have bestowed upon each and every one of us, that are truly of Your making and not ours. We praise Your forgiveness of sins, Your resurrection, and life everlasting. Amen
