WATCHWORD:
39 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!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43
20 But our homeland is in heaven, where our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is; and we are looking forward to his return from there. 21 When he comes back, he will take these dying bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use to conquer all else everywhere. Philippines 3:20-21
Meditation:
Heaven
(The following Meditation was inspired by N T Wright’s commentaries
in his series New Testament for Everyone.)
I have been thinking about a meditation on the subject of Heaven for some time, ever since I read Randy Alcorn’s book, Deadline. In that fiction story, the author presents a vivid, encouraging, and thought-provoking image of eternal life with God, that, for me, completely reset what I imagined Heaven would be like. Alcorn has written enumerable non-fiction books on the subject of Heaven, including study guides, children’s books and theological treaties, all grounded in scripture.
What do you imagine Heaven will be like? I once saw a cartoon that depicted a guy sitting on a cloud, playing a harp, and saying “I wish I had brought a magazine.” Of course, that conveys the idea that Heaven will be boring. Really. Is that your image?
I think too often we have this idea that Heaven is faraway and it’s a place we hope to go to someday, but not today. And yet, through Christ it is very near, and the more we follow Jesus, the more the reality of Heaven comes alive in us. Did you get that? In us.
Can we agree that Heaven will not be a boring place, where we play harps, sit on clouds, and sing the same stanza of the same song forever. What we call Heaven is God’s space, filled with peace, justice, and beauty. In Alcorn’s version of Heaven, every day is a new day, where we learn something exciting and engaging each day, and we enjoy the company of loved ones, frequently.
Think about this, the Resurrection of Jesus has connected us directly with Heaven and earth, overlapping realities, far more completely then we know. One of the ways God brings his kingdom, “on earth as it is in heaven,” is through people, you and I, believers in Jesus and the Resurrection. The hope of heaven is not something we are waiting for, it is what we enter each day as we follow Jesus and let his plans unfold in us.
No, we will not be sitting on clouds, playing harps and wishing we had something else to do, a magazine to read, a deck of cards, almost anything than just playing this harp song forever. No, it will not be anything like that. The redeemed people of God will be the agent of God’s love going out in new ways to accomplish new creative tasks to celebrate and extend the glory of his love. A new Heaven and a new earth? Why not? Amen.
Let Us Pray:
Loving Heavenly Father, we come to you asking for your blessing and help as we live this day, seeking to do your will in all ways. We pray for guidance for our goings and coming that you would clearly show us the path that you have laid out for us this day, and how we can truly love our neighbor with the spirit of joy and enthusiasm. Help us to serve you while encouraging each other to excellence. Give us the willingness to challenge each other to reach higher and farther to be the best we can be. We look forward to that time when we will come to you and dwell in the Spaces that you promised. It is with gratefulness that we asked all of these in the name of our Lord and our savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.
