Sunday, November 22, 2015

Would you know my name

Years ago a musician named Eric Clapton wrote the song “Tears in Heaven”. The song was written after he lost his son in a tragic accident. The lyrics ask the question “would you know my name if I saw you in Heaven?” A lot of people connect with the message in this song because we want to believe our loved ones are waiting for us in Heaven. We want to believe they’ll recognize us and welcome us into God’s kingdom. But the song also paints a picture of doubt as to whether that reunion will go the way we imagine.
The Bible does not address this concept directly but does offer a few examples, which suggest a reunion with loved ones. One example is found in 2 Samuel, chapter 12. This chapter relays the story of the Lord taking David’s son as a result of David’s sins. Upon learning of the child’s death, David said he would go to him as the child could not come back to David. David implies he’ll see his child in Heaven someday, which aligns with the sentiment in the song. The next line in the song “Tears in Heaven” goes on to say “will it be the same if I see you in Heaven?” We can again look to David’s words from this chapter for guidance, “who knows?”
In our discussion at Grace Baptist Church we talked about Heaven. We were split on our view of Heaven. Some felt Heaven would be a reunion; not only with the family members we knew, but also all the generations before. Others felt we would recognize our loved ones in Heaven but our connection wouldn’t be any different than with others in Heaven. It didn’t take long to get lost looking at the endless possibilities of what Heaven might be; but we all agreed Heaven will be full of fellowship and love. One member summed it up simply by saying Heaven should be seen as an eternity in God’s presence, while Hell is eternal separation from God. 
The bible does offer perspective on Heaven. In Luke (23:43) Jesus on the cross Jesus said to the thief, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise". The book of Revelations describes heaven in several ways including lots of praise time with worship of God 24/7. Maybe we don’t know exactly what Heaven will be, but the only thing that matters is an eternity with God. What we do know is our faith in Jesus Christ assures our place in Heaven. We don’t know all of the details but knowing we’ll be with Jesus and in the presence of God is all we need. 

Who knows where our discussion will go next time but if you’re interested you can join us in the boardroom every Sunday at 9:30 AM.

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