Encounters with Jesus :-
Paradise
This Sunday Simon Lace brings us the talk in the latest of our EBC services. We encourage you to reflect on the bible text and join us in the prayer that follows below.

Readings
Philippians 3:20-21 NLT
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
 
Luke 23:32-43 (New Living Translation)
Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”
One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
 
Questions to Consider
1. Do you believe in the future resurrection of the dead, as indicated in the first reading above, and as Christians recite in the Apostles’ Creed? If so, how do you square that with the second reading above, and Jesus’s promise of paradise “today”?
2. Knowing that "Paradise" (as written above) literally means a walled royal garden or a king's park, how does that imagery change the way you picture the immediate afterlife?
3. How does viewing this "Paradise" as a temporary holding space (rather than the final destination) sit with you?
4. Does such an idea challenge or change your perspective on what happens the moment a believer dies?
 5. If our loved ones are completely safe in God's sovereign care (in paradise) why do you think humans naturally feel the urge to keep loving, speaking of, or praying for them?
6. Why do you think modern culture has preferred the image of "going up to heaven on a cloud" over the biblical image of "heaven coming down to a renewed earth"?
7. How does the promise of a physical, restored New Earth change how we value our physical bodies, our environment, and our daily work today?

Prayer
Heavenly Father, Our minds feel small when we look past the horizon of this life, and the mysteries of eternity can sometimes overwhelm us. Quiet our anxious thoughts with the steady truth of Your promises.
 Thank You that the moment we close our eyes in death, we are instantly awake in Your presence—resting in the safety, comfort, and beauty of Your paradise. Thank You that those we love who have passed away are already at home, safe with You.
 Loving God, stretch our vision even further. Help us to find even a deeper hope as we look to the final day of Christ's return, when You will defeat suffering, evil and death completely. Fill us with hope for the physical resurrection, when our bodies will be made new and we will inherit a beautifully restored creation.
 Anchor our hearts in Your measureless, unchanging love. Help us to live boldly today, as good stewards over our own bodies and over all that you have placed in our care, knowing that our future is secure and that we will dwell with You forever.
 In the mighty and victorious name of Jesus, the firstborn from the dead and our Saviour. Amen.
 
Further Resources

Rethinking Life After Death (interview with N.T. Wright): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZC6tbgpsl4

Surprised by Hope (Book, N.T. Wright)