There’s no way to accurately describe the nervous yet joyful anticipation of going home after an extended time away which was not of our choosing. The seconds seem to drag like minutes and minutes like hours. The idealized images of unspoiled security and happiness flood our minds. Reality rarely meets our expectations, but it demonstrates the power the influence of home has in our lives.
On the night before his crucifixion Jesus talked about heaven the way we talk about home. He had just told his disciples that their lives were about to be thrown into chaos and he wouldn’t be visibly present to help them through the trauma. Seeing the anxious looks on their faces, Jesus says, “Calm down. I’m going home to get it ready for you. Just keep that in mind when things seem to be out of control.”
Many people speak of heaven as the “big amusement park in the sky” or “Candyland”. To them, it is a mythical place people talk about, wishing it actually existed but knowing deep down it doesn’t. For Jesus, heaven was just the opposite. Reality is heaven. Naïve hope is believing that the present life can meet our deepest needs.
For Jesus, from the moment he entered this world on the first Christmas, he was on his way home. And he means for his disciples to live with the same perspective. The teaching of Jesus is controversial. He demands we take sides. Live for today or live for heaven. In 100 years, all of us will know who was right.
If you’re up in the air about living for now or living for heaven but have recurring concerns that there has to be more to life than what you are experiencing right now, join us for our Sunday morning worship service. We’re all on our way home, either to a grave or to heaven. Doesn’t Jesus’ heaven seem a whole lot more appealing?
Sunday Morning Worship – 10:00 am