First Moments in Heaven: Worshipping Together
Soul,
I think that when you first wake in Heaven, you’ll remember times when you were surrounded by 50, 100, a 1000 people all agreeing in unison, “Glory and honor and power to you, God of the universe, Lover of my soul! Healer of the nations!”
Voices straining, instruments pushing beyond their limits, overdriven speakers and arms pumping and heads raised to the stars and skies and Heaven,
Jesus!
Jesus!
Jesus!
Every heart pouring out every hope and pain and prayer and wish and speck of affirmation and Yessss! We believe in you! You have performed the most remarkable feats, told and lived the most satisfying story.
Brought us to the most impossibly perfect narrative of winning and overcoming and goodness and excellence and evil falling and underdogs dogging the proud and ‘whoah! Can you believe he just did that?’ amazement. Let me see that again and again and again....he did what?!
Not Kobe Bryant or Cowboys or Rangers or U2 or Prince or Taylor Swift, but God.
Go God! Go God! Go God! We’re here for you God!
So satisfying when your people gather to declare your greatness and love and goodness and wisdom
together
in unity,
in solidarity,
in glorious, unexpected contrast to the world’s celebrations of derivative skills and masteries.......
And then you’ll remember the day after
the let down
the return to your imperfections and struggles
You’ll remember the astounding skills of that famous worship leader
and the unfathomable way he adulterated himself with a woman not his wife
You’ll remember the solidarity that led to bigotry and hate and mockery.
You’ll remember the shame of your continued addiction to fame, lust, self-protection, lying, identifying more with a sports team than with Jesus.
Your heart, expecting magnification of worship now that you’re in Heaven will retreat. Pull back into a resigned, sighing recognition of the emptiness, the irrelevance of those moments.
But then.
But then you’ll sense something, so soon in Heaven.
Around, above, beneath, vibrating, resonating with the basic frequencies of your fundamental nature. You’ll listen, look, smell, feel your way to the source of the sensations, liquid strength rushing through every atom, increasing with every step you take closer and closer and closer.
Light blazing and burning and healing
Sounds breaking and rumbling and restoring
Aromas choking and overpowering and clearing every passage for more and more and more breath
And then...
The Father and Lamb and Spirit extinguishing every. other. thought. feeling. idea.
Trinity flooding over, through, in, under, around, every aspect of your being.
Washed. Flipping over and around.
Frozen. Freed. Forgetting. Falling. Filled. Found.
God Almighty
Omnipotent
Creator
YHWH
Then awareness of others experiencing this with me.
Sounds and colors and movements and faces and smells and tastes all at once no holding back everything flowing in adoring and praising and loving and giving to the
only God most high!
Cacophonies of every life, angel, cherubim, seraphim,
expressing every nation
in every pattern
with no reserve
crowded around the throne. The throne!
Incomprehensible diversity patterned by love invading every particle of our wills and minds and hearts
We will not turn from YHWH toward sin
We will not leave with
fading memories
competing glories
uncertain souls
switching allegiances.
Uh uh.
Nope.
Not here.
I’m home with Daddy.
Let’s go to the city and make stuff.
I think that when you first wake in Heaven, you’ll remember times when you were surrounded by 50, 100, a 1000 people all agreeing in unison, “Glory and honor and power to you, God of the universe, Lover of my soul! Healer of the nations!”
Voices straining, instruments pushing beyond their limits, overdriven speakers and arms pumping and heads raised to the stars and skies and Heaven,
Jesus!
Jesus!
Jesus!
Every heart pouring out every hope and pain and prayer and wish and speck of affirmation and Yessss! We believe in you! You have performed the most remarkable feats, told and lived the most satisfying story.
Brought us to the most impossibly perfect narrative of winning and overcoming and goodness and excellence and evil falling and underdogs dogging the proud and ‘whoah! Can you believe he just did that?’ amazement. Let me see that again and again and again....he did what?!
Not Kobe Bryant or Cowboys or Rangers or U2 or Prince or Taylor Swift, but God.
Go God! Go God! Go God! We’re here for you God!
So satisfying when your people gather to declare your greatness and love and goodness and wisdom
together
in unity,
in solidarity,
in glorious, unexpected contrast to the world’s celebrations of derivative skills and masteries.......
And then you’ll remember the day after
the let down
the return to your imperfections and struggles
You’ll remember the astounding skills of that famous worship leader
and the unfathomable way he adulterated himself with a woman not his wife
You’ll remember the solidarity that led to bigotry and hate and mockery.
You’ll remember the shame of your continued addiction to fame, lust, self-protection, lying, identifying more with a sports team than with Jesus.
Your heart, expecting magnification of worship now that you’re in Heaven will retreat. Pull back into a resigned, sighing recognition of the emptiness, the irrelevance of those moments.
But then.
But then you’ll sense something, so soon in Heaven.
Around, above, beneath, vibrating, resonating with the basic frequencies of your fundamental nature. You’ll listen, look, smell, feel your way to the source of the sensations, liquid strength rushing through every atom, increasing with every step you take closer and closer and closer.
Light blazing and burning and healing
Sounds breaking and rumbling and restoring
Aromas choking and overpowering and clearing every passage for more and more and more breath
And then...
The Father and Lamb and Spirit extinguishing every. other. thought. feeling. idea.
Trinity flooding over, through, in, under, around, every aspect of your being.
Washed. Flipping over and around.
Frozen. Freed. Forgetting. Falling. Filled. Found.
God Almighty
Omnipotent
Creator
YHWH
Then awareness of others experiencing this with me.
Sounds and colors and movements and faces and smells and tastes all at once no holding back everything flowing in adoring and praising and loving and giving to the
only God most high!
Cacophonies of every life, angel, cherubim, seraphim,
expressing every nation
in every pattern
with no reserve
crowded around the throne. The throne!
Incomprehensible diversity patterned by love invading every particle of our wills and minds and hearts
We will not turn from YHWH toward sin
We will not leave with
fading memories
competing glories
uncertain souls
switching allegiances.
Uh uh.
Nope.
Not here.
I’m home with Daddy.
Let’s go to the city and make stuff.