Being the Beloved:
stories of ongoing transformation in daily life
By Steve Luten, Pastor and Spiritual Director
I've been thinking about heaven these days. More precisely, I've been thinking about the new heaven and the new earth, the time when all things will be made new. In regard to scripture's description of this age, it's difficult to know what is literal and what is metaphorical. For example, Isaiah writes “the wolf will lay with the lamb” and there will be “no killing on my holy mountain” (Isaiah 11:9) while at the same time we will eat “choice meats on the mountain of the Lord.” (Isaiah 25:6). The images in Revelation are even more mysterious. Yet, amid the uncertainty, I have a theory; not a doctrine, just a theory. I suspect that in the age to come we will be, quite literally, surrounding the throne of the Almighty in rapturous worship and simultaneously engaging in normal earthly life – planting gardens, walking with friends and surfing big waves in wild oceans.
Why do I think this and why does it matter? First, this is what I see in Jesus both before and after his resurrection. Admittedly, the data is sparse for Jesus’ life on earth after the resurrection. However, in two key stories his behavior seems very consistent with his life prior to death. In Luke he is walking and talking with friends, and in John he is cooking bread and broiling fish for his disciples. The second reason for this theory is observational - the most mature and holy people I know are simultaneously growing in their depth of worship and in their presence to the ordinary stuff. In these people, holy worship and regular life are expanding in concert with one another. It seems the more connected to heaven we become the more attentive we are to the stuff of earth.
Why does this matter? I'm getting older and there are so many things I have not yet done nor will ever do. For example, in this life I will never run a 4-minute mile. I will never speak fluent Arabic. I will never be a master painter. Furthermore, there are things on my bucket list I may never get to, like biking the Continental Divide or eating at a top Michelin rated restaurant. Worse, over the next several decades my physical and mental capacities will continue to shrink; a fact I mourn regularly.
However, these are only short-term problems. In the not-so-distant future I will be made new—not transmuted into a different kind of thing, but renewed as a human. The highest of worship will certainly be at the center of my life but, and this is key, my life will also be more earthy, more biological, more ordinary than ever. This theory matters because the more firmly my hope is rooted in the physicality of new creation, the less tragic my present losses feel. I do not need to fear missed experiences or reduced capacity because these losses are temporary.
What seems to matter more is my presence, in both worship and in gratitude for the ordinary things of life. For these practices allow me to be faithful in life as it is now and they are the same skills needed for the time when all things will be made new.
Steve Luten is a pastor and spiritual director in Ellensburg, Washington. Some of his key preferences are mountains over beaches, cardio over strength training, and distance over speed, most of all, time with his family over just about anything else.
What books, media, activities are nurturing your heart, soul, mind, strength in this season as we are loving God and our neighbor as ourselves? Post in the comments below or hop on over to our Facebook page and share with one another.