Random Resurrection Ramblings
True to the season, my thoughts have turned to resurrection and what that means for us. Nobody talks much about heaven it seems. Is that because we really don't have much to go on? I guess that's what it is, but it seems odd that since being in heaven is something that we all say we want, we sure don't explore the concept very much. I'm not even sure heaven is a place...maybe it's a state of being.
Since Jesus was resurrected, bodily, I assume we will be too. A new body, Paul says. I want to know what that means. Are we going to be recognizable to people that we knew on earth like Jesus was to the women that came to find him? Are we going to eat and drink like Jesus did after he was resurrected? And what are we going to do in heaven? I hate to admit it, but I'm sort of like Mark Twain who said if all we're going to do is sit around and sing, then no thanks. I mean, think about it. For eternity, we're going to be in heaven and we don't have the foggiest idea of what we're going to be doing. This is all nonsense talk to Bruce who says that our finite minds can't even grasp the concept. I know that...but I still wonder about it.
Is Jesus in his bodily form in heaven? Does God have a body? Or are we all going to be in some ethereal non-body forms and float around like mist? Will I get to drink coffee in heaven? Will we read? I can't imagine Bruce not reading for eternity...even in heaven. He said maybe there's something better than reading...something like having full awareness and knowledge.
Am I the only one who thinks up weird questions like these? Does anybody else have strange questions about heaven?....or better yet, answers?
posted by pat @ 9:37 AM
5 Comments:
You're right-- we don't talk much about heaven, and we should. When I was younger, I used to imagine the paved gold streets and deceased people floating around like angels. But as I've gotten older, I've tried to better understand the line, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." It's like we're supposed to start living our 'heavenly' lives right here and now. I think heaven will feel like we're being embraced by our true home, but that embrace may initially feel like a refining fire, burning away all the selfish gunk we've held onto but can't keep anymore.
An observation regarding our culture-- I also don't think we talk much about heaven b/c we fear death SO much. Our culture is consumed with health and avoiding death. You can see it in our western-influenced prayer requests: pray for so-and-so with cancer, or this person who just had a heart attack, or this person who was just diagnosed with MS. When I look at our weekly prayer request list in our church bulletin, it's pretty much composed of physical ailments and then the traditional list of missionaries we support. I don't think it's wrong to pray for people's health, but you can tell when we're constantly praying for this, the underlying sentiment is-- "And please heal them quick, God, so they won't be bothered with being sick anymore and we can get on with our good livin'." (I think we're also blind to the fact that God can bless richly through circumstances such as these.) If we talk about heaven, then it means we are acknowledging physical death, and that scares the dickens out of many.
P.S.-- I love your picture amongst the tulips. Is that near your home?
It's funny you should mention your thoughts about our perception about death. I've long thought the same. In fact, I pray consistently for God to help me be unafraid of death. The one thing that I don't want to happen is to go kicking and screaming. I want to be glad about it. I want to think about heaven as the "big trip" that I've been planning for all my life. You know how people plan for vacations? It's exciting and they make preparations in advance and think about it with anticipation?? That's how I want to truly view dying and going to "heaven" wherever and whatever that ends up being. I think that God will give me that request. If we had a more balanced view of death, perhaps we would talk about our destination more.
The tulip picture...I went to the Skagit Tulip Festival last week. It was breathtaking. Acres of tulips of all colors. It was sort of a touristy thing to do, but it was worth it!
Brent would have a lot to say about this. (He'll have even more to say I bet when the dissertation's actually done.)
I like the talk of embodiedness in heaven, because I think we can't conceive of being who we are without bodies. It is strange to think about though, as I think we all grow up under enough neo-Platonic influence to first conceive of heaven as a place where souls float about bodiless. In the end, neither way of thinking about it yields anything--Dad's right, eternity and heaven defies human comprehension. But I don't think that means we are barred from speculating...again, I say, I must have gotten that theology gene from you, MOM.
Sarah told me once that Thomas Aquinas believed that we would all be the ideal age in heaven and no one would be fat (apparently he was quite the porker himself)...however, if one lost a limb during life on earth, you'd be missing it in heaven too. I don't really know how he came up with all that, but maybe he was being pestered by someone with obnoxious questions about heaven and spiritual bodies...Anyhow, I assume that Dad will of course be reading in heaven, he just won't need glasses anymore. AND, he will not longer be afflicted with that mysterious ailment of reading-deafness, so that whenever someone should talk to him while reading, he will "have ears to hear"--and yet, not be disturbed in his concentration either! Now that's heaven for everyone involved!
P.S. On the question of Jesus' bodily form in heaven, I heard a prof say something interesting just yesterday. McCormack quoting Charry, actually. Something to the effect of, Jesus will carry the wounds of the cross, even in heaven; they will be "healed," but they will be there.
Yeah, same here Scott!
I love that picture of you in that gorgeous field of tulips.
I've heard there is a good book about heaven that talks about these things you're pondering. Unfortunately I can't remember the author, so I guess that's no help! :-)
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