Lessons from Beyond

I recently had a lovely conversation with the children of a deceased parishioner.  Their dad had been a very thoughtful man--a seeker in the truest sense of the word.  Despite being well advanced in years he made a real effort to attend my weekly seminars on subjects ranging from the History of Mormonism to The Religous and Political History of Haiti.  Apparently he had shared some of that experience with his children, neither of whom live close at hand.  In phone conversations he would relay some of what he had learned in class, and it would serve as fodder for discussion. 

One of the courses that particularly intrigued my late parishioner had been the one on life after death.  In that class I presented the various ways different religious groups view the matter.  I spoke about resurrection, reincarnation, the immortality of the soul, annihilation and other theological and philosophical understandings.  One night on the phone he told his daughter about the course.

"So, Dad," she said, "What do you think?  What's your view of life after death?"

"I don't know," he said.  "We haven't had the last class yet!"

I chuckled when his daughter told me the story.  It sounded just like him!  But the truth, of course, is that while we may have any number of theological understandings of life beyond the grave, in reality, we won't really know until after the last class, will we.  I suppose that's why they call it faith.  I can't prove that there is life after death.  I can't prove resurrection is real.  But I can have faith, I can trust that the God who has loved me throughout my life, will love me after my death as well.