BIRTHDAYS AND BLESSINGS

Well, this is the day my mom would have turned 100 years old.  She almost made it – she went to heaven to be with Jesus on February 4 – just 3 months ago.  So, today is a day of mixed emotions, as you can imagine. 

My last conversation with Mom was all about heaven and what she would see and experience and so in honour of her and even more so, in honour of all God has awaiting us that Jesus paid such a great price for us to experience, let’s think a bit about heaven today.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” 

Revelation 21:1-5

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.

Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  Revelation 21:22-27

Heavenly Father, our hearts are lifted as we think about the beauty of heaven and the life we will have with You there forever.  So many like my mom are already in Your presence because we know, “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.”  We try to imagine the joy and beauty of it all but it’s just beyond our ability.

So today all we want to do is to allow the wonder of Your love for us and Your great plans to fill our hearts and inform how we live today.  Whatever tears or death or sorrow or crying or pain we are enduring in these days, help us to put them into the perspective of these day when they will be no more.  Amen

You know, one of the jokes we had with Mom when we were pretty sure her hours were short and that she would be celebrating her 100^th birthday in heaven was she must be thinking that God was a better party planner than we were. 

Well, she had it right, didn’t she?  Let’s remember heaven today.