A few weeks ago I accompanied the Vicar to a school to be
subject to interrogation by the young people. One of the questions raised was, “What
do you think about life after death?” which initiated a very interesting
discussion, some of which I’m going to share with you.
So often as Christians, as followers of Jesus, as ‘believers’
(or as whatever you may call yourself), we walk along in life thinking “GREAT –
I believe in God, I believe he’s real, oh I’m so looking forward to this ‘heaven’
place...brilliant!” And yes that may be true but that’s not the point.
Heaven is not what life is all about. We are living NOW. We
are in the ‘present’ - the ‘gift’ that is today.
As Christians it is our job now, today, in the present, to bring a little bit (or a lot - why the heck not?!) of heaven
down to Earth.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill
cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your
good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
It’s about being Christ-like in a world that so desperately needs Jesus; being like Jesus in what we
say and in what we do; in how we live.
Being a Christian is about being in a personal,
living, current relationship with God, it’s not about grabbing a ticket to a life-after-death
paradise (though yes that is very exciting!) – it’s about following Jesus today
in this world.
Let’s live a life that makes a difference – instead of
wallowing in the mess of this world let’s journey with God in bringing light
down from heaven and into our screwed up world.
What a super exciting honour that is!
What a super exciting honour that is!
Let's bring Heaven to Earth today.
I'll keep you posted.
