{"id":10917,"date":"2026-05-13T10:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=10917"},"modified":"2026-05-12T21:15:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T02:15:25","slug":"10917-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/10917-2\/","title":{"rendered":"May 17, 2026 &#8211; Look Up"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4><b>Prepare:<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Gospel of John has some of the most dense \u201ctheological language\u201d of the Gospels. Not that the others aren\u2019t also deeply engaged in God-talk (theo-logos \u2192 God-words \u2192 theology!), but the author of John goes to great lengths to clarify \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> but not <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">b<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">c<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> because <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d. They are reflecting on the theological developments of the early church and deliberately educating their audience through passages like today\u2019s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today\u2019s text invites us to think about what Jesus wants for his disciples as he prays for them (and us!). Are we meant to believe that Heaven is \u201cup there\u201d somewhere? What does Jesus mean when he talks about \u201ceternal life\u201d? Is all of this church stuff just about what happens after we die? Maybe these kinds of questions are familiar to you. For folks\u00a0 unfamiliar with Christianity, it\u2019s easy to think that \u201cbelieving in Jesus so we go to heaven when we die\u201d is the whole point of Jesus\u2019 life, ministry, death, and resurrection. This prayer helps expand our perspective,\u00a0 providing a broader view of what Jesus hopes and intends for his disciples.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Opening Exercise:<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Read <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Psalm%208&amp;version=NRSVUE\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Psalm 8<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> aloud together. What stands out to you from this poem?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I especially love verses 3 and 4; have you ever looked up at the stars so long that your brain recognizes that you\u2019re staring into a three-dimensional space and not just a flat starfield? (and you become immediately aware that gravity is holding you to the planet\u2026) If not, I hope you get the opportunity one day!<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What places or spaces in your life give you a feeling of being very, very small compared to something very, very big?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What about the opposite? When do you feel very, very big compared to something very, very small?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Text Read Aloud: <\/b><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=John%2017%3A1-11&amp;version=NRSVUE\"><b>John 17:1-11<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><b>Look Up<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was six years old the first time I took a flight. The moment the plane crossed to the upper side of the cloud<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-27.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10918 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-27-234x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"234\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-27-234x300.png 234w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-27-799x1024.png 799w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-27-768x985.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-27-1198x1536.png 1198w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-27-250x320.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-27-273x350.png 273w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-27.png 1383w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" \/><\/a> cover, I looked out the window and said \u201cWow! We\u2019re in Heaven!\u201d My little brother leaned over excitedly, peered out the window and asked, \u201cWhere\u2019s Grandma?\u201d. (Needless to say, we didn\u2019t see her.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We all have ideas about what words like \u201cheaven\u201d and \u201ceternal life\u201d mean; we should pay attention to what Jesus actually says about them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The author of the Gospel of John and the characters within have a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">very<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> different understanding of the cosmos than modern readers do. They lived more than twelve centuries before Copernicus pointed out that the Earth isn\u2019t the center of the Universe, and even further back in time from any of our modern observations of black holes, the Big Bang, multiverse theory\u2026 It is almost impossible to imagine how different their understanding of the physical world is from our own. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So when Jesus \u201clooked up to heaven\u201d in verse 1, do we need to believe that \u201cheaven\u201d is \u201cup there\u201d somewhere? I don\u2019t pretend to know what Jesus of Nazareth believed about those things. However, I think it\u2019s fair to say that wondering about the physical location of a heavenly realm is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">not <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the part of the story that Jesus really wants us to focus on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Eternal Life Jesus<\/span><\/h6>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jesus prays for his disciples, and we should pay attention to what he prays for: knowledge and unity. In Verse 3, Jesus defines what \u201ceternal life\u201d is: knowing that God is the true God and Jesus Christ is the one whom God has sent. At the beginning of the Gospel, John describes Jesus as the Word of God: Jesus is what God is communicating to the world. Jesus <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> God\u2019s message. Not just a messeng<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">er<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, but the message itself. All these things are the message of God: the way Jesus treats people, the way he interacts with the world around him, the things he advocates for, what he says he\u2019s about (such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Luke%204%3A16-21&amp;version=NRSVUE\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Luke 4:16-21<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew%2025%3A31-46&amp;version=NRSVUE\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Matthew 25:31-46<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, etc.), the ultimate integrity to the message that led to his death, and his resurrection. Knowing the life of Jesus is the stuff of eternal life for us. It will connect us to God and to each other.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eternal life is for living <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">now<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">! Knowing that Jesus is the Word of God invites us to focus us on living the way he does, empowered by the Spirit, lifting our heads to see a horizon beyond our own lives. We are invited into what God is doing in the world! Nobody else can play our part for us. Perhaps a good way of thinking about taking up God\u2019s invitation is that we will live \u201cthe kind of life that death can\u2019t destroy\u201d or \u201cthe kind of life that is eternal\u201d. Jesus talks about it as \u201cthe kingdom of Heaven\u201d and says that it\u2019s a reality right now. It\u2019s about a different <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">quality<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of life, not just an extension of it into infinite old age.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Reflective Questions:<\/b><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How do you understand what Jesus says in verse three? Is this a different definition of eternal life than you\u2019re used to?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maybe this study has offered you an opportunity to re-frame a belief you hold. How does that feel? Does it feel ok? Not ok? What\u2019s different?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Can you think of people who have lived \u201clife that death can\u2019t destroy\u201d? Make a list of them. What do they have in common? What kind of things made their life so compelling?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jesus is the Word of God; what is God saying to you today?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><b>Closing Activity:<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Listen to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/5lwtbnU-1Tw?si=SGu_4_JgKkF_eunj\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cCome, Thou Long Expected Jesus\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cFrom our fears and sins release us\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What fears hold you back in life? <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What sins can you confess to Jesus and lay aside?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cBy thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone\u201d<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What can you do today to strengthen the community around you?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What unity can you be part of creating? This doesn\u2019t mean everyone has to be the same: let the harmonies of the song inspire you! Sing your part, let others sing theirs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><b>Final Prayer:<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Take a deep breath and exhale.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Holy One, thank you for showing yourself in the life of Jesus Christ. Help us to know you better and follow you more closely. Shine a light in our life, into the shadows that hide the things we don\u2019t want to look at.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Silence<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Thank you for loving us as we are; help us to hear your voice more clearly and trust where you\u2019re leading us. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Christ\u2019s name. Amen<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Bio:<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rev. Rory Chambers is the Pastor for Youth and Young Adults at The First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck, NJ. Rory is Australian, and looks for any excuse to share a meal with people. If he\u2019s not at home with his family, you\u2019ll find him leading karaoke at a pub with his neighbors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-10727\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-300x162.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-1024x551.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-768x414.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-1536x827.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-250x135.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-650x350.png 650w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt.png 1950w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prepare: The Gospel of John has some of the most dense \u201ctheological language\u201d of the Gospels. Not that the others aren\u2019t also deeply engaged in God-talk (theo-logos \u2192 God-words \u2192 theology!), but the author of John goes to great lengths to clarify \u201ca but not b, and c because d\u201d. They are reflecting on the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[16749,16761,781,16760,16759],"class_list":["post-10917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post","tag-awe","tag-christianity","tag-eternal-life","tag-farewell-discourse","tag-john-171-11"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>May 17, 2026 - Look Up - Faith Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In John 17, Jesus defines eternal for his disciples and for his followers today. Eternal life is for us here and now.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/10917-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"May 17, 2026 - Look Up - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In John 17, Jesus defines eternal for his disciples and for his followers today. 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