Heaven

November 6, 2011, All Saints' Sunday



Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
3 gBlessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 gBlessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 5:3. On this All Saints' Sunday, let's talk about heaven.

And what is heaven? I checked my Bible dictionary just to be sure. I thought it was interesting that in Hebrew, Greek, English and Japanese, the word heaven has two meanings. First, it means the sky, as opposed to this earth. That is where the clouds and the moon and sun and planets and the stars are. Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." And the word heaven also means the place where God dwells. Isaiah 66:1 "Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool." That does not mean necessarily that God lives up in the sky, but it does mean that God's dwelling place is different than this earth in a special way. Another use of the word heaven in English and Japanese is to mean to die, as in the expression, to go to heaven. But for Christians, to go to heaven means eternal life with God. On this All Saints' Sunday, we remember those saints who have died and are now with the Lord in heaven.

There are many beautiful pictures of heaven in the Bible. It is a paradise, a marriage supper, green pastures. There are heavenly mansions, streets of gold, gates of pearl. But we are not going to talk about the architecture or furniture of heaven. Heaven is where God is. Heaven is wherever God is. And when we are with God, we are in heaven. Heaven is paradise for us only because we are with God. So to be in heaven is to be with God. It is eternal fellowship with God. There will be no more pain or death or sorrow or tears or tribulation. And our bodies will be transformed to the glory of everlasting life.

I want to go to heaven! Sign me up! Make the sign of the holy cross on my forehead and on my chest as a sign of my baptism into Christ's death and resurrection. Mark 16:16, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved."

And then I looked at today's Gospel reading. In these words, who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, who will see God? The poor in spirit, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those persecuted because of righteousness. And I wondered if I qualified for heaven based on these words? How pure is my heart, really? Have I made more peace or more conflicts in my life? Have I been persecuted or bullied because I stood up for justice and tried to live my life in the right way? Or how about those people I love who have been called home to the Lord, are they okay? I think they were good people who believed in Jesus, but I also know that they were not always pure and peaceful. Is there anyone who is 100% pure in heart? Yes, there is! Jesus is. And because of his sacrifice on the cross, all our impurity and trouble-making and unfaithfulness are forgiven in him. In the resurrection, we are given new life that is like his. Therefore we will see God; we will receive the kingdom of heaven. There we will join with those who have already met the Lord.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 5:3. We may be poor in spirit, but it is a rich inheritance from the grace and mercy of God.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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