Receive Eternal Life

RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE

a prayer to open

Here I am, Lord. Quiet my mind. Open my heart.

Give me ears to hear your invitation and the faith to respond.

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day. . . .

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them . . . and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

“Anyone who eats this bread will live forever.” Just as Jesus offers life here and now—to the full—he also offers life forever. Though we die, we will be raised up and given new bodies and new life in God’s presence for eternity. But this life is extended to us only in Jesus—and in the sacrifice of his very body. No other person or experience sustains, overcomes, and resurrects. All else that we might be tempted to trust in fades and disappoints.

• What fears do you have about death or what happens after death? When do those anxious thoughts or feelings most often arise in you?
• Read this passage again slowly. What invitation related to receiving eternal life do you sense Jesus extending to you?
• Do you know someone who lives with fear about death? Seek God’s guidance as to how you might invite them to receive the eternal life Christ offers.

Loving God, thank you for the invitation into eternal life. Thank you that in Jesus, I don’t need to fear death or condemnation but can look forward with hope and anticipation to the day I will be raised to life and live in your Kingdom forever. Guide me through times of fear and doubt, comforting me with what is to come. Allow the hope I have in you to seep out in my words, actions, and countenance so that others can see you in me. Amen.