Weekly Word

My grandson is three years old.

Camden said, “Mom, I want to have a conversation with you. A conversation, okay? About being dead?”

He then asked his mother, “Where is heaven? Where is God? Can you still walk when you are dead? Are there any scary monsters in heaven?”

Heaven is rarely talked about in the Bible. For good reason, I think. It has been said of Christians “that they can be so heavenly-minded that they are no earthly good.” Though we believe that heaven is our final destination, it is not the goal. The goal is to live life fully and abundantly right now. Jesus came that we might have abundant life now. Abundant life is much more likely for us and for those we love if we live as Jesus taught us – if we love God by loving our neighbor.

Whatever comes after this life is on a need-to-know basis, and we simply don’t need to know. Heaven is rarely talked about in the Bible. Focus on today, and trust God for the next chapter in your existence.

Where is God? God is everywhere at once and always. God is ever-present, ever-loving, arms open, ready to embrace prodigal children and lost sheep.

Can you still walk when you are dead? I am going out on a limb and I am going to say that you cannot walk when you are dead. I have been around hundreds of dead bodies and none of them were walking. As best as I can tell, the dead are motionless.

Can we still walk when we are dead? No, but here is the deal: I DON’T THINK THAT WE EVER DIE! I don’t think that we are ever dead. Were you dead when you left the world of your mother’s womb and were born into this world? Life as you knew it, floating peacefully in a sea of tranquility, protected by the enveloping love of your mother, was over. Everything familiar ceased to exist, but you did not die, and you did not cease to exist.

I don’t think we die. Our bodies quit functioning. We leave them behind, and at that point it is probably good to leave broken jars and forgetful minds behind. We no longer exist on earth, but I don’t think we die. In a mystery that is as wild and crazy as our birth, I believe that we simply cross over to a new existence. No pain, no purgatory, no long delays, no time rotting in the earth. No need to have dead men walking. In the blinking of an eye, we arrive – “TODAY you will be with me in paradise.” I don’t think we die; we are simply reborn.

Are there scary monsters in heaven? I am confident that there are no scary monsters in heaven! We may be surprised who is in heaven with us. After all, God takes great joy in chasing down wandering children and lost souls and bringing them home. Monsters? There may be monsters in heaven, but not scary ones.

No more fear, no more tears, no more pain, no more sorrow, no more cancer, no more hate, no more bigotry, no more scary monsters.

I wish the same for you on Halloween! No scary monsters – just abundant imaginations, a little make-believe, and abundant life.

See you in Church!

Pastor Jim