When I was a kid I thought of it as a rather cold, ethereal place. Pearly gates opened into streets of gold. Cinderella type castles and other, nondescript, imposing buildings rested on top of big white fluffy clouds, much the way the giant's house in "Jack and the Beanstalk" did. I thought of God as either a George Burns or Morgan Freeman kind of character. Heaven a la fairy tales and Hollywood.
My Sunday school teacher began to answer some of the questions I had. She told me there would be no sadness in heaven, or bad people. I guess she knew I needed to hear that. It was only moderately comforting, because I was still firmly living in a childhood where there very much were those things. But it did give me hope. And it was the beginnings of a theological understanding of a real, tangible place. Heaven a la wise teachers.
In college, I learned more. God's throne is there. Jesus sits at the right hand of God. Angels gather around the throne and sing eternally, "Holy, holy, holy." I wondered how I'd fit into this majestic presence. I imagined myself mostly as an observer, standing or kneeling in awe, using hushed tones like in the library. Heaven a la theology discussions and hymns.
Jesus returned to heaven to prepare a place for us. He spoke of His father's house as having many rooms. I took this literally, like He was some sort of holy interior decorator. Still not a very personal view of what heaven means for me. Heaven a la DIY Network.
To really understand my Father's house better, I've had to begin to understand my Father better. He is equally the righteous judge sitting on His holy throne and compassionate, forgiving Father; picking up his garments and racing out to meet the prodigal daughter with an embrace. He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore, yet who He is to me changes with the seasons of my life. My redeemer, my teacher, my father, my healer. His house is a place of awe and intimacy. Heaven a la paradoxical truths.
Modern music talks about a "big, big house with lots and lots of rooms". There is a "big, big table with lots and lots of food". Also, there is a "big, big yard, where we can play football". The song is fun and at first glance seems to understate the awe of heaven. But the more I think about it, the more I realize the profundity of their words. Heaven a la Audio Adrenaline.
Heaven really is more than a physical place for me. It is the culmination of all the relationships in my life both long developed, and longed for. This big house with lots of rooms houses the people who've loved me and I've loved best.
The big table is filled with foods from every nation. Sweet, spicy, rich and colorful; a wedding feast and celebration of God's creativity and passion for His people. All are invited. Best of all for me, I am invited.
The big yard has already been given to us, and the opportunity to play together. All of us have an important position to play on this "football" team. I'm trying to let God coach me as I play mine.
Heaven is often a comfort to me. When wrestling with injustice and the atrocities which plague our time and world, I hear God tell me that He will restore justice. During the times when I wish I could remember every detail of the history of my children's lives, the cute things they have said and done, I hear God tell me that He will restore memories. After thinking of a loved one who's been too far away for too long, I hear God tell me that He will restore relationships.
All of this He will do completely in heaven. Yet I know Him to be the personal, involved God who is already beginning these works today. "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
For all of the longings in my heart, I hear His answer, "I will".
For all of the longings in His heart, I hear Him answer, "I AM."
The peaceful, relational home, the satisfying table, the actualization of our purposes are the promises of heaven. And heaven is really the completion of being fully in Him and fully in His presence. It is the ultimate combination of worship and relationship. Completed and perfected sometime in the future, begun at the very beginning of time and accessed through Jesus.
Thank-you, Jesus!
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