Just How Do I Get To Heaven And What Will It Be Like?

 
 

Good Morning Friends,

 
 

In today’s lectionary passages we see the connection between the Law of Moses and the coming Kingdom of God, and we wonder if this is about Jesus coming back to reign or if it is about getting into heaven. So, we revisit this challenging question that tends to separate nice people from the mean people and challenges the rest of us that are a little bit of both and are just trying to get better. So, Just How Do I Get To Heaven And What Will It Be Like?

 
 

Scripture: The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

 
 

You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord. You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning. You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord. You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

 
 

Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 (NRSV)

 
 

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 
 

Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)

 
 

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

 
 

2 Peter 3:9 (NRSV)

 
 

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

 
 

Philippians 1:20–26 (NRSV)

 
 

 
 

Message: I need both God’s grace and your help in answering today’s question. For as one biblical scholar has said, the parable we have from Matthew is the least popular of all of Jesus’ parables. It deals with a subject we would rather avoid, judgement and what it teaches is controversial because it seems to connect judgement with “good works” rather than “grace.” The unpopularity of its main subject and the difficulty in understanding some of what it teaches has meant that Christians have all too often missed what Jesus clearly says about what his expectations are for those who claim to be His authentic followers. You see those who neglect the poor and the oppressed are not God’s people at all. Friends, no matter how frequently you practice your religious rituals nor how orthodox your creeds and confessions, if you do not love those in need you miss the boat. But first we must die. And well I guess that is part of the answer to today’s question, but the thing is, if we believe in heaven now it changes us now even if we are not exactly sure what it will be like. If we believe we begin to fill the hole in the Gospel by glorifying God in our actions that includes support for those in need. Friends, there is no proof of heaven and yet more than 80% of the people in the United States say they believe in heaven, according to an ABC News poll from a decade ago. But people have very different images of an afterlife and what they believe is required to get there. It is a universal question that every culture wrestles with. People have beliefs in everything from reincarnation to images of Valhalla to Nirvana and a Paradise with an ongoing feast. Some people believe we are turned into angels but more, I think rightly, believe that our spiritual transformation, though like the messengers and servants of God, is still unique. Most agree that heaven is a place where there will be peace and tranquility but more than a spiritual place where the body is resurrected. I believe we will have no tears, no mourning and no suffering with the eternal joy and happiness of being one with God in an indescribable other dimension. Many Jews and Christians believe in the final days being a rejoining of people’s soul and the body and an accounting for our life much like in today’s parable. But sceptics aside and near-death experiences and science aside…. all tend to believe that heaven is good, and hell is bad.

 

And So, maybe that is why Jesus spent a lot more time speaking about hell than heaven. And why we have so many diverse views. Now if I had been Jesus, I think that teaching about heaven would be more important. I would want my audience to hear about what awaited them in heaven and what it would be like. But Jesus apparently believed we needed to know more about hell than heaven so I guess we will have to wait for a really good answer as to what awaits us. But until then it might be very wise to help others on the journey and perhaps bring a little heaven to earth now and not just for the eternity that is to come.

 
 

Pray we repent, believe, and obey. Pray we realize that our claim to be God’s people is proven to be false if we do not share our God’s special concern for those most in need. Pray we not only realize that Jesus made and finished the way for people to be saved, but that now we are to tell others about what God has accomplished and witness it through our actions. Pray we realize that we are to produce fruit but know that fruit is not what saves us. Pray the roots of our faith are formed in a deep and rich relationship with Jesus that is so strong that will last forever. Pray we bring a little of heaven to earth through outreach to the most vulnerable of God’s children. Pray that we are not so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good.

 
 

Blessings,

 
 

John Lawson