Sunday 14 July, 2024

Reflection: 
               "Everything in Heaven and on Earth"

Psalm 24
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2 Samuel 6:1-5,12b-19

Mark 6:14-29

Ephesians 1:3-14

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Ephesus is an ancient city, down the western coast of what is modern-day Turkey. In Greek and Roman times, it was a major town and trading centre, but is now largely in ruins. 

On his 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys around the Mediterranean, Paul’s preaching of the gospel in Ephesus had caused many of the locals to turn from their magical practices and from their worship of Artemis (later known by the Romans as Diana), the goddess whose elaborate temple was constructed in their city. 

After Paul left, many of the new Christians began to wonder if the message he’d preached was only meant for the Jewish settlers in their city.
Paul’s encouraging letter was sent to reassure them that the gospel message was for everyone, not just the Jews. 

In the book of Ephesians, Paul uses beautiful and very evocative language when he describes how, through Christ, both Jew and Gentile are blessed by God – emphasising that his love is not just for his “chosen” people, that is the Jews, but for all his people, and that included the gentiles (or non-Jews). 

This was quite a radical departure from the understanding that the Israelites had about “their” God and his love.  They had always assumed that they were to be the only recipients for his grace and favour.
Now Paul is telling the new Christians in Ephesus, made up of both Jews and gentiles, that, through their acceptance of Jesus as their Lord and saviour, they are all now a part of God’s Kingdom. 

I love the language that Paul uses when describing God’s grace and love for us all.
He says that God “lavishes” it upon us.
That is, he not just “provides”, or “gives”, but he “lavishes” it on us. 
The dictionary defines it as both a verb and an adjective.
As a verb, it might mean something freely given, bestowed, generously given, etc. - like: "the media lavished praise on the actors in the movie", or, "she has always lavished love on her children."As an adjective, we might think of sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious - like: "it was a lavish banquet" 

I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “lavish” my mind goes off into an epicurean dream, where food is spread lavishly with all the things that taste so good.
So, we don’t just get a taste, but a banquet, in God’s Kingdom! 
And these graces from God are his free gift to us, when we decide to be his followers, his people. 

When Paul wrote to the “saints in Ephesus”, as he called the people who made up the fledgling Christian community there, he makes it clear that God was expressing a different world view to the one they currently understood.The same world view, in fact, that Jesus had proclaimed when he was on earth.  
Paul told everyone there that this is God’s world, and that God has a plan to reunite heaven and earth.   

You will undoubtedly remember the words of the Lord’s Prayer, where it says “Your kingdom come…….. ON EARTH, as it is in heaven”.
So, we can understand that this kingdom is not only somewhere “up in heaven”, but the Kingdom of God is here on earth, where all souls will be reunited. 

Do you remember the Apostle John, in his revelation, the final book in the bible, talking about the New Jerusalem, coming down from heaven to earth, where the old will be swept away and the new will replace it.    

In Revelation 21:3& 4 he says:
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

Revelation ends, not with people going up to heaven, but with heaven coming down to earth, to be the new Jerusalem. 

Even Ezekiel, some six or seven hundred years before Christ was born, had prophesied about a new Jerusalem, where God would dwell. 

Paul also proclaimed that, in and through Jesus, the Reign of God is already breaking into this world and that when we put our faith in Christ, we begin to experience something of heaven, of God, in ordinary human life.   

In Ephesians 1:10 Paul says that God sets out his plan, in Christ, “a plan for the fullness of time to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”  
He says that in the Holy Spirit what we receive is a down-payment on this promise, a guarantee that we will be reunited with God in a new combined heaven and earth. 

The great English musician, Eric Clapton, wrote a poignant and heart wrenching song called “Tears in Heaven”, following the death of his 4-year-old son, Conor.
In this song he asked the question “Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven? Would it be the same, if I saw you in heaven?” 

I wonder what your response would be if I asked you whether you think we’ll meet again, up in heaven? 
Most of us probably grew up with the impression that the Christian message tells us that heaven is this wonderful place where God lives, somewhere far above the earth, and that if we live the right way, and put our trust in Christ, we are going there after we die.  

In fact, this is not the message of the Bible, and it’s certainly not the message of Jesus.
Instead, it’s the message of intellectuals during the last couple of hundred years.
These are the people who have separated God, and heaven, from the earth and human beings. 

This message was probably intended to give humanity a clear go at running the world whichever way they liked.It’s the message of “modernity”, which put its trust in science.
In this modern world, God is made increasingly irrelevant - having been relegated to another sphere of doubtful existence. 

So, no, I don’t think we’re going up to heaven when we die – God has an even better plan - to bring heaven to earth.   

It means that what happens on this earth really matters to God, and WE really matter to God, because we’re a vital part of his plan of bringing heaven to earth.

Yes, God is there for us on the other side of death, just as he was for Jesus, and his promise is that we are part of his plan for a new heaven and a new earth. 

What an amazing invitation and promise! 

So, whilst we may meet again after we die, it may not be in that mythical place “up there”, but it will be a wonderful place, none-the-less.

And the best news you’ve heard all day, is that we don’t have to do anything to earn this gift – in fact we CAN’T do anything to earn it - God just makes it available to us as a free gift – it’s called grace. 

God’s blessings are freely given to us and it’s up to us whether or not we decide to accept this great gift.
Over the years, we’ve been reminded that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”, so, once we’ve accepted God’s gift and decided to dedicate our lives to him, we need to do something in God’s Kingdom HERE ON EARTH to honour his gracious gift to us. 

It’s no use waiting until the afterlife to experience the Kingdom of God.
Now is when we should be getting out there and working to build it up. 

You may think that you can’t have much of an impact, but I encourage you to discuss it with God in your prayer time.
Between the two of you, I’m sure that you’ll be able to come up with a great action plan.
Something that you can do right now and something for the rest of your life here on earth – building the Kingdom. 

May God bless you all and keep you in his care – forever and ever.                       

Blessings…………..Pastor Rick