Heaven's above? - Pastor's pen for 29th May 2022

Having been chewing on the idea for a preaching series on heaven for some time, here goes. It's not fully formed in my head, but I've got some structure to begin with.

It would be great if you emailed me or told me about one or two scriptures on heaven that give you pause for thought, concern or joy. That way we can collaborate on a shared community conversation about what heaven is, both in a future sense, and for the here and now. Let's set the tone a bit:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your[a] life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (Col 3:1-4 NLT)

My reading of scripture and thinking about God takes me away from the idea that heaven is purely a future home. The life of Jesus brought God's kingdom here in bodily form, and I think the interface between earthly life and life with God were forever changed by that.

As we begin this path let me suggest that scripture talks about heaven (or the heavens) in three basic ways:

1. The sky/space (part of creation) - 'The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.' (Psalm 19:1 NIV)

2. The realm of God beyond human reckoning - 'Now the main point of what we are saying is this: we do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven' (Hebrews 8:1 NIV)

3. The new heavens and the new earth - 'But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.' (2 Peter 3:13)

I'm not planning to unpack all that here, today, but rather just frame how I'm going to preach on the topic going forward. I think the theological idea of a 'new heavens and a new earth 'has for more impact on how we are to walk humbly and live justly now, rather than aiming for some salvation bus ticket we have to clip along life's journey. Hope we all enjoy the conversation.