It's not just 'pie in the sky when you die', but 'cake on the plate while you wait!' Or in other words those who speak of Christianity being a sop to miserable disadvantaged people are missing something. Part of heaven should break through now.
It is true that God's love does not differentiate between gender, race, colour, skill, intelligence, class, or any other description we might choose. And that means that the poor, or impaired, or vulnerable can find huge comfort in knowing heaven will liberate them. And often the rich, or powerful, or articulate confess to living miserable empty lives.
We await the delights of heaven, but seek its flavour now. We live in the light of eternity, but live life to the full now. Jesus made it clear that his sacrificial life (which displayed amazing energy, compassion, wisdom, strategy, and charisma) also had times for merriment. In fact his first miracle turned significant quantities of water into wine at a celebration of marriage.
 |
| picture from www.thecommunitychurchhoniton.org.uk/ |
The strict religious of his day told him off because it was clear he wanted fun as a companion to faith.
And while we're at it, let's nail another false idea about following Jesus. You must have heard the quip s/he's so heavenly minded, s/he's no earthly use. It's rubbish.
Yes, there are some scatty people who have their head in the clouds, but there are many others whose eternal perspective has driven them to make a huge difference in our world. Here are four examples from our country's makeup:
● abolition of slavery
● setting up of law courts
● Oxbridge college foundations
● building of hospitals and training of staff
Let's get real about what an amazing amount heaven has to offer now, and echo part of that famous Lord's prayer: Thy kingdom come, on earth as in heaven!
No comments:
Post a Comment