“It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight.
It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a
world where goodness is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against
chaos, in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to
which side because appearances are endlessly deceptive. Yet for all its
confusion and wildness, it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the
good, who live happily ever after, and where in the long run everybody, good and
evil alike, becomes known by his true name… That is the fairy tale of the Gospel
with, of course, one crucial difference from all other fairy tales, which that
the claim made for it is that it is true, that it not only happened once upon a
time, but has kept happening ever since and is happening still.” (Frederick
Buechner, Telling the Truth)

We are told Heaven will be a never-ending church service. We’re convinced “we shall sing one glorious hymn, one after another, forever and ever, amen.” We are told Heaven is a place of clouds and harps and boredom. Sounds like hell to me. Heaven cannot be fathomed. We cannot touch it. Think about that. All the beauties, the adventures, the breath-taking excitement and wonders of our world now don’t compare to what will be experienced in Heaven. Are we to believe that an eternal church service is better than hiking through the mountains, going deep-sea fishing, and stepping on the moon? We have dreamed better dreams than God can dream? We have written stories with a better ending than God will provide? Here’s some good news – that never-ending church service isn’t the Good News. It’s not even close. Heaven is an immortal life. The restoration of all things. A wedding feast. Paradise is regained. Jesus told the thief, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Think of how beautiful Maui and the Caribbean and Cancun are now, with the infestation and corruption of sin – we can’t imagine them restored! The blind will see the beauty of the universe. The deaf will hear the laughter of friends and family. The lame will jump and dance and run around. We are in winter – a cold, dry, barren world with naked trees and bleak skies. Heaven is spring – color everywhere, a warm breeze, leaves on the trees, flowers spreading, insects buzzing. Life returns. Restoration. The universe and all in it will be restored – oceans free from oil, skies clear of pollution, sharks that cuddle, and lions that play with children. All of creation will be brought back, as good as it was in first creation – the glory of the Garden of Eden will return to us! We will meet up with our brothers and sisters, our parents and grandparents, sons and daughters, friends. Everyone who ever decided to live for God will meet back together – reunions with tears of joy, happiness that bubbles over; screams of excitement! And God smiling over it all! Those who wished to be brave, will be brave. Those who always longed to be beautiful, will be beautiful. Those who wished to be leaders, will be leaders. What we once yearned to be, we will be! We will worship God, yes – but it will be like nothing we’ve ever experienced, or ever will till the day we stand in the restoration. We will adore Him. Heaven is the return of the beauty, the intimacy, the adventure we were created to enjoy, and have yearned for every day of our lives. And it is immortal. Imagine the greatest days of your life, combine them into one, multiply it by an eternity, and repeat it over and over for eternity. There is Heaven! It cannot be lost; it cannot be taken. As we were created to reign over the earth – to explore and discover and create and do all those things we long to do – that is our destiny. Jesus says we will inherit the Kingdom – this isn’t metaphorical! All the cosmos will be before us! No longer will we be bound by our bodies and physical limitations – we will be given the task of ruling over, with power and creativity, the kingdom of God! What will you do first when you get to Heaven? We think about amusement parks – what will we do first? Which ride? Which restaurant? In Heaven, what will you do first? Paddle a canoe down the Amazon? Soar above the earth with the eagles? Dive into the greatest depths with the peaceful sea creatures that came from God’s hand? Will you learn to play an instrument? Eat out with those you were separated from here on earth? Or will you dare to explore the Universe – from the planets to the sun to the stars? Will you hurl through space with asteroids? You’ll have plenty of time for all of that – an eternity! The cosmos will be ours! Ours! God is giving it to us! Sometimes we wonder if we will make it. The road is tough. The road is hard. But the day will come – the first day in eternity, a day so good we’ll wish it never to End, and know that it never shall! Laugh much. Play hard. Fight for God. Jesus tells us, “I’m going to Heaven, and I’m preparing a place for you. And I’ll come back for you.” He’s coming back for us. Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe seventy years from now. Did you know we will never taste death? The transition from life here on earth to forever-life in Heaven will be instantaneous. We see the semi sliding into our lane – and then we’re standing deep in the Serengeti of a restored creation, with the elephants and zebras, and giraffes and loafing crocodiles. The death for a believer shouldn’t be a day of mourning – because there’s no way they’re mourning where they are! They’re probably pulling strings with God to get you there sooner! That’s how amazing it will be! Our journey today brings us one step closer to being home – really home with God. All we long for, we shall have. All we long to be, we will be. All that has hurt us so deeply will be swept away. Eternity. Paradise! A valiant Hero-Lover and His Beloved. An Evil One and a great battle to fight. A Journey and a Quest, more dangerous and more thrilling than you could imagine. A little Fellowship to see you through. This is the gospel of Christ.
And, now, since this is something we can imagine…
… we know Heaven will be far better!