“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also
eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform our lowly
body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by
which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians
3:20-21)
A recent Wall Street Journal article was called, “There’s
No Place Like Home; Including Home,” by Jeff D. Opdyke. The sense of the
article was: “You can’t go home again.” The author
said, “People regularly dream of returning to the place
where they grew up, where memories of family and friends are strongest, where
they came of age. Or they dream of returning to that place where they first made
it on their own – where they had their first job, where they met their future
spouse. What we’ve learned over the past three years though, is that home isn’t
really about the place. It’s about a time. And for many people, going home is an
impossible quest to return to a life forged as a kid or a teen or a young adult.
It’s like one of those dreams where everything looks familiar, but nothing seems
right.”
That was my experience. I was born in the State of Maine, in the USA, but
then we moved to Long Beach California. And though I lived in places like
Mississippi, Japan and Arizona, somehow, Long Beach, California always seemed
like “Home” to me. Finally, years later, I did return to Long Beach, but that
feeling of “home” was not quite there in the way I expected. The streets were
mostly the same, many of the buildings were still there, but an incredible
number of reference points were changed. Ninety percent of the businesses had
different names. I don’t remember what was there before, but now it’s a market
with a name I never heard of before. Houses are missing; including the home I
lived in as a child - it and the houses around it are now an apartment complex.
But mostly, as Mr. Opdyke said, it’s about the people and the time. That was
then, and the people we remember, including the time we lived in – it’s all
gone.
I’ve adjusted and am now used to living in Long Beach once more. I like the
occasional fog, the many sunny days; the beach is still there, and there are
quite a few of those refreshing grey skies I remember from my days in school.
But that “comfortable” feeling is not quite there, except in relation to my
wife, Genevieve, who is my wonderful friend, and others who have blessed our
lives in many ways. And I have comfort from our Lord, who led me here again, but
He has also shown us that our true home is in eternity.
To me, the wonder of heaven will be that we will see the Lord. Yes, it’s
reasonable to be intrigued by the various physical aspects of the “new heaven
and new earth” mentioned in Scripture. The idea of “dwelling places,” along with
“golden streets,” the “pearl gates” and all, is fascinating. But most of all, I
agree with Paul the Apostle, the writer of our Scripture for today, who said we
“eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”
(Philippians 3:20). What’s really important about “heaven,” whether it’s on
earth or elsewhere, is – Him! He is the One that Isaiah the Prophet called “Wonderful” (Isaiah 9:8) and He is. Without Him, there
would be no “heaven” for us to look forward to. With Him, we have it all.
I’ve been reading an interesting book entitled, “Heaven,”
by a man named Randy Alcorn, director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (www.epm.org).
He wrote about Ruthanna Metzgar in a section called, “Can
You Know You’re Going to Heaven?" which quoted from “It’s Not in the Book,” by Ruthanna Metzgar. Here’s what
was said:
“Ruthanna Metzgar, a professional singer… was asked to
sing at the wedding of a very wealthy man. According to the invitation, the
reception would be held on the top two floors of Seattle’s Columbia Tower, the
Northwest’s tallest skyscraper. She and her husband, Roy, were excited about
attending. At the reception, waiters in tuxedos offered luscious hors d’oeuvres
and exotic beverages. The bride and groom approached a beautiful glass and brass
staircase that led to the top floor. Someone ceremoniously cut a satin ribbon
draped across the bottom of the stairs. They announced the wedding feast was
about to begin. Bride and groom ascended the stairs, followed by their guests.”
“At the top of the stairs, a maitre d’ with a bound
book greeted the guests outside the doors. ‘May I have your name please?’ She
responded, ‘I am Ruthanna Metzgar and this is my husband, Roy.’ He searched the
M’s. ‘I’m not finding it. Would you spell it please?’ Ruthanna spelled her name
slowly. After searching the book, the maitre d’ looked up and said, ‘I’m sorry,
but your name isn’t here.’ ‘There must be some mistake,’ Ruthanna replied, ‘I’m
the singer. I sang for this wedding!’ The gentleman answered, ‘It doesn’t matter
who you are or what you did. Without your name in the book you cannot attend the
banquet.’ He motioned to a waiter and said, ‘Show these people to the service
elevator, please.’”
"The Metzgars followed the waiter past beautifully
decorated tables laden with shrimp, whole smoked salmon, and magnificent carved
ice sculptures. Adjacent to the banquet area, an orchestra was preparing to
perform; the musicians all dressed in dazzling white tuxedos. The waiter led
Ruthanna and Roy to the service elevator, ushered them in, and pushed G for the
parking garage. After locating their car and driving several miles in silence,
Roy reached over and put his hand on Ruthanna’s arm. ‘Sweetheart, what
happened?’ (She replied) ‘When the invitation
arrived, I was busy… I never bothered to RSVP. Besides, I was the singer. Surely
I could go to the reception without returning the RSVP!’ Ruthanna started to
weep – not only because she had missed the most lavish banquet she’d ever been
invited to, but also because she suddenly had a small taste of what it will be
like someday for people as they stand before Christ and find their names are not
written in the Lamb’s Book of Life,” a “book”
glimpsed in places like Revelation 20:15.
When we read the daily newspaper and see the “wars and
rumors of war” that fill its pages, we recognize that this earth, in its
present form, is not our home. Something about this place is not right and we
hunger for our true home. There is a “new heaven and a new earth” in our future,
but like Ruthanna and her husband, Roy, we must “RSVP”
if we expect to be there. And to do so is not so difficult. We simply are to “be found in Him, not (through our)
own righteousness, which is from the law, but… through FAITH in Christ, the
righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:9). Because of
this “faith” in Him, when the “Maitre D’” greets us at the stairs of eternity, it will
be clear that “our lowly body (is)
conformed to His glorious body” (Philippians
3:21) and He will let us in.
Dear Lord, we “RSVP” right now, placing our faith in You. We trust in You
and in Your will. We are Yours and we long to see You Face-to-face. Thank You.
In Jesus Name. Amen.
