My neighbor Julie stopped me on my way to the mailbox. How come heaven is so kitchy? (I'm not actually sure how to spell what she said.) What do you mean, I asked?
"Well," she said, as she leaned on her rake, "every time I see or hear something about heaven it's so trite or old-fashioned. It's like all our ideas about heaven are stuck in 1842. They just are so stupid."
"Are you suggesting we should have some pictures of Ipods and some stories about heaven with people driving around in hybrids?"
"Yeah," she jumped in, "anything that would make heaven someplace I might actually want to be a part of. Every time I see or hear about heaven it's so old-fashioned, with lots of stupid pictures about angels and harps, and old Norman Rockwell pictures hanging on the gates. It's just dumb."
Now, Julie, who is a graphic designer for one of our local companies, is big about design. Her house is beautifully decorated, and what she does to her yard--unbelievable! I can see where she is coming from, as every time I hear something about heaven it is usually a bit...dated, shall we say?
"I suppose. Heaven is to be something we strive for. It should be about our wildest dream, our most hoped for ambitions. Heaven is about the best God makes us, the best God calls us to live." I put the mail under my arm, and started for the door.
Julie started pulling some thatched grass from her boulevard. "Just remember Scott," she called after me, "Best has never been the same from year."
And, if that's true, then neither is heaven.
Your Blog Steward
- Scott Frederickson
- Omaha, Nebraska, United States
- I am more and more convinced that most congregations die from a staggering lack of imagination. Let's change that. Let's imagine a creative future with God and each other together. Drop me a line on email or leave a comment if you have thoughts on God, Jesus, congregations, the church or whatever.... I look forward to our conversations.
2 comments:
I suppose Apple would be happy to hear that there are Ipods in heaven but I prefer the Sandisk Sansa. Does that mean that heaven would not be for me or do I need to bring my own MP3 player? If so, I would also like to bring my cell phone to stay in touch. Do they have Verizon in heaven or would I have to switch to T-Mobile? Would it be a "lifetime" contract?
Dear Anonymous,
Heaven, being full of incorporal folks, would lessen the need for MP3 players as well as phones. However, listening to the Stones when they are up in the centuries old range, may be a bit of a stretch. Then, again, maybe we can pick and choose our lifetimes? I'm thinking that as long as there's something to strive for, it might just be passable...well, as long as there is BBQ.
Peace,
Scott
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