Imagine there’s a heaven (it’s easy if you try)
John 1:1 & 14
(You can get the Word file here)
Christmas is a time for fairy stories… are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin:
The handsome prince
Once upon a time there was a handsome prince who, through no fault of his own was placed under a spell by an evil witch. The prince could speak only one word each year. However, he could save up the words so that, if he did not speak for a whole year, then the following year he was allowed a roll over word and could speak two words. (The small print in the curse forbade both letter writing and sign language)
One day he met a beautiful princess (ruby lips, golden hair, saphire eyes, the whole nine yards) and he fell madly in love. With the greatest difficulty he decided to refrain from speaking for two whole years so that he could look at her and say "my darling". But at the end of the two years he realised that he wanted to tell her that he loved her. Because of this he waited three more years without speaking, bringing the total number of silent years to five.
As the fifth anniversary approached, he realised that he really wanted ask her to marry him. So he waited another four years without speaking.
Finally as the ninth year of silence ended, his joy knew no bounds. Leading the lovely princess to the most secluded and romantic place in that beautiful royal garden the prince heaped a hundred red roses on her lap, knelt before her, and taking her hand in his, said huskily, "My darling, I love you! Will you marry me?"
The princess tucked a strand of golden hair behind a dainty ear, opened her sapphire eyes in wonder, and parting her ruby lips, said: "Pardon?"
Heaven and earth
Most human problems are communication problems, and most communication problems happen when we are not listening. I wonder if you can imagine there is a heaven (it’s easy if you try), how does heaven communicate with a world that is not listening?
Imagine that it’s worse than that. Heaven and earth are separated by a plate glass two-way mirror, like the ones in the movies, heaven can see us but when we look for heaven all we see is our own reflection. We wonder if heaven is really there at all, or if God is just a bigger version of ourselves projected onto the sky.
If you were the king of heaven, what would you do to communicate to a world that is not listening? Surely, the only way ‘round the problem would be to visit the earth yourself? This is what Christmas is all about. Jesus friend and biographer, John, put it like this:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning… the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John's gospel chapter 1, verses 1 and 14)
John says ‘We have seen his glory’ – what exactly did they see?
Later in the New Testament there is a beautiful portrait of Jesus, it describes him as full of ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’. This is what Jesus' friends say and this is what heaven looks like.
Jesus was full of an infectious and attractive joy, that’s why five thousand people followed him into the wilderness with no clear idea of where their next meal was coming from. He was popular with children as well as adults. The sanctimonious misery of many a pious painter’s imagination would not have had this effect on people!
He was full of peace, when others were in crisis he was centered and calm. A murderous gang of theologians once dragged in a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They wanted Jesus to embarrass himself in front of the crowd by pronouncing what should be done with her. They wanted her to be stoned to death… what did Jesus think?
He said nothing, but squatted on the ground doodling in the dirt. Then he stood up and said – OK stone her, he said, but let the first rock be thrown by one who had never sinned. One by one the theologians left the scene – defeated. Each departure re-building the woman’s shattered confidence. Finally Jesus said, “Has anyone stayed to condemn you?” the woman answered, “No!” She had begun to feel the security that being close to Jesus brings. He is not only full of peace, but he gives peace away to everyone who needs it.
I could go on about the rest, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, but I have no time. We cannot, however, miss out the most important item on that list.
Love
“Greater love has no man than this.” Jesus said, “Than he give up his live for his friends”, which is exactly what Jesus did, dying on a cross for all of us, friend and foe alike. On the cross, Jesus shattered the plate glass mirror between us and heaven – there is no barrier in place any more – we can experience the life of heaven in our own lives here on hearth. The fruit of the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives is, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”.
Christmas is a time for fairy tales, and this seems like the biggest fairy tale of the lot! Indeed, I used to believe it was a fairy tale until I discovered the facts of the Christmas story, and found out that the evidence for the gospel’s account of it is very good. So I changed my mind, I believe it!
Over the years a lot of people have said to me, “I wish I could believe that”. So how do you believe it, how do you get faith?
For some, faith is a disease that some people catch if they are careless about the company they keep; but faith is not a virus. For others, faith is a disease that develops if you have the defective gene that kicks in when you reach a certain age; but faith is not a genetic disorder.
Faith is a decision that you make on the basis of the evidence. You look at the evidence and make the choice.
Faith is a skill that you learn, a habit of mind that forms as you tackle life’s problems as one whose starting point is a simple trust in God. Hang around with Christians long enough and you will see this in action – you can learn faith by watching it in others.
Perhaps, more than anything, the Bible tells us that faith comes to someone who is listening. Faith comes by hearing God’s word. So if you want to find faith, get within earshot of people who talk about the Bible, and listen.
Just as the princess was distracted, at the crucial moment, by the moonlight on the water and the romance of the occasion, we can be distracted by the ballistic business of this season.
Be still… listen!