Heaven: Connections
John 21: 1-19
January 19, 2025
The past two Sundays you have been sharing your thoughts about what heaven might be like. Would others like to share this morning? Before I share my thoughts, let me hear what you think. What do you think heaven is like?
This month I’ve been sharing from two resources that are filled with the latest research on near death experiences. The two books are: Life after Life by Raymond Moody and After by Bruce Greyson. They are based on interviews of people who clinically died but came back and told stories about their experiences.
Everyone’s near death experience is different, but there are things that happen that are common to many of the people. Often it starts with hearing oneself being pronounced dead. Then there can be loud ringing or buzzing followed by moving through a dark tunnel. The person finds themselves outside of their physical body but still in the immediate physical environment.
The person can see their own physical body as if they are a spectator. Eventually, the person is met by other people. That is what we’re focusing on today – the connections we make after we leave this world.
Most of the people who have near death experiences talk about meeting loved ones who have died earlier. I read one of the many accounts in another book entitled: In My Time of Dying by Sebastian Junger. He said, “I was in surgery getting a transfusion. I became aware of a dark pit below me and to my left. It exerted a pull that was slow, but unanswerable. I knew that if I went into that hole, I was never coming back. I was feeling myself getting pulled more and more into the darkness. Suddenly, I became aware of something else. My father. He’d been dead for 8 years, but there he was, not so much floating as simply existing above me and to my left. My father exuded assurance and seemed to be inviting me to go with him. He said, ‘It’s o’kay. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Don’t fight it. You can come with me. I’ll take care of you.’
Later, after I woke up, during that first hour I told my wife Barbara about the black pit and my father.”
This hope of meeting our deceased loved ones is an important one, especially as we get closer to the end of our life on earth. I remember a member of the church in Parchment that I visited one day in his home.
I was surprised at how much he had declined from the week before. Before that day, Dave was always dressed and sitting up in his chair. We’d have a good talk together. But this day, Dave was in the bed. He didn’t lift up his head very far to acknowledge me. I knew the end was getting close.
Dave didn’t talk much that day. But he did respond to one of the questions I asked him. I asked him if he was looking forward to heaven. He smiled and said he was looking forward to seeing Rita. Rita had passed away two years before after being married together for over 62 years. He said he was also looking forward to seeing their son who had died ten years before.
Dave looked forward to being reunited with these loved ones.
Now, it could be that one might dismiss these stories of being reunited with loved ones as simply wishful thinking. But Bruce Greyson shares many stories in his book about near death experiences where people saw other deceased people who were not known to have died. He tells the following story of a man with severe pneumonia at age 26. This is his story:
“I had been taken very ill and was three weeks in an oxygen tent. I was friendly with one of the nurses, Anita. She told me it was her 21st birthday that weekend and her parents were coming to celebrate. She fluffed up my pillows as I wished her a happy birthday.
A few days later, I was having a near death experience where I met Nurse Anita on the other side. ‘What are you doing here Anita’ I asked. ‘Why Jack, I’ve come to fluff up your pillows and see you are all right. But Jack, you must return, go back. Tell my parents I’m sorry I wrecked the red MGB. Tell them I love them.’ Then Anita was gone.
Later, after I recovered, I told a nurse what Anita had said. This nurse burst into tears and ran. I later learned that Anita and this nurse had been great friends. Anita had been surprised by her parents with a red MGB sports car for her birthday. She had raced that car too fast around a dangerous corner and hit a concrete telephone pole – dying instantly.
But I was dead when all that happened. How could I possibly know those facts?”
Heaven is a place for us to be reunited with our loved ones. I believe that also includes our four-legged loved ones. I know Lori is looking forward to being reunited some day with her wonderful black lab we had for almost ten years: Jezebel. She wears a shirt today that has a dog with angel wings.
One of the purposes of meeting others on the other side is to find assistance on our journey. Raymond Moody says in his book, “Quite a few have told me that at some point while they were dying – sometimes early in the experience and sometimes later – they became aware of other spiritual beings in their vicinity. These beings were there to ease them through their transition into death…. In some cases, people called these other beings their guardian spirits or spiritual helpers.”
Another aspect of connections in heaven is the relationship between people who are dead and people who are alive. Greyson says, “Almost half of those who experience a near death experience said that in the afterlife we will be able to watch loved ones who are still alive and may be able to communicate and interact with them”
Another book Lori and I recently read together is entitled: Hello from Heaven. It’s subtitle says: A new field of research – After Death Communication – confirms that life and love are eternal. The book is full of stories of people contacted by loved ones who have died. Sometimes it’s just sensing their presence or finding some symbol. Other times it’s a fragrance or a touch. Sometimes, it’s auditory and other times it’s visual.
Our Scripture today is an amazing story of After Death Communication.
Jesus was crucified on a cross. He was buried in a tomb. He is dead. But that is not the end of the story of Jesus.
The Jesus story in our Bibles includes many accounts of After Death Communication. A dead Jesus communicates from the Other Side with his living disciples. He communicates both visually and auditorily. The disciples both see and hear the deceased Jesus.
This story in our Scripture today happens after the disciples return back home to Lake Galilee. They are out fishing together as some of them used to do before they met Jesus.
It was a moment of discouragement. They had been fishing all night. And they had caught zero fish. Zero. Pitiful situation for professional fisherman. This was on top of their despair and fear over the shocking death of their group leader: Jesus. It was a moment of extreme discouragement and darkness.
As the sun is beginning to rise over the eastern shore, they hear a voice. At first, they don’t recognize who it is. The voice says: “Friends, have you caught anything?”
They yell back, “No”.
The voice yells back: “Let your net down on the right side of the boat and you will catch some fish.”
They did and the net quickly became so full of fish they couldn’t even drag it up to the boat.
Finally, John recognizes the voice. “It’s the Lord Jesus.” Simon Peter put on his clothes and jumped into the water to swim to shore.
Jesus was on the shore. He had a charcoal fire with fish on it. In addition, he had bread with him to share. He said to them, “Come and eat.”
After the meal, Jesus and Peter had a conversation. It was an important conversation. You remember that Peter had denied he knew Jesus three times on the night of Jesus’ arrest. Peter had abandoned and denied Jesus during Jesus’ lowest moments on earth. Peter was feeling the brokenness and guilt of that cracked relationship.
But Jesus communicated with Peter from the dead and healed that broken relationship. He restored and commissioned Peter to the work of feeding the sheep, taking care of God’s people. This was After Death Communication that brought healing and restoration.
I believe that is what heaven will be like. Reunions with loved ones. Restoration of strained connections. Healing of hearts.
Heaven is about healing…
Next week, I’ll talk about two more questions we might have about heaven: Do we meet God in heaven? Will there be a Judgment?
Let’s ponder the reunions and restoration and healing we will experience in heaven as we listen to our special music.
