Recently, as I was acting as glorified chauffeur to my children, I drove past a church with a large banner that caught my attention. It read, “In Phoenix, as it is in Heaven,” an obvious play on the phrase from the Lord’s Prayer, “On Earth as it is in heaven.”
My first thought was annoyance that someone would take a broad global hope and turn it into something specific to one location, but as I thought about it more, I began to realize that being more specific doesn’t exclude the rest of the world – it simply shines a spotlight on what is happening closer to home. So I began to wonder: If we were uniquely focused on what our community would look like if we were living into God’s intention for the world, what would it look like?
First, a disclaimer: None of us has seen heaven. None of us can come close to comprehending the greatness of God’s kingdom fully realized. But because Jesus came to earth and shared these words specifically in his prayer he taught for us to pray for ourselves, I think we are still called and challenged to try to live into the unknowable potential that is God’s reign on earth. Of course, living into the unknowable isn’t easy. It takes trust in things that can’t be seen or fully understood. It takes faith.
So as we look at what it means for us to live our lives in such a way that heaven comes to earth, we first are called to live lives of faith – to trust in God’s promises despite the worries of our present age. What that looks like may be different for each of us, but it always involves a little bit of risk.
We risk giving to ministries that truly matter a little more generously, trusting that God continues to provide for us what we need, and that we are a part of providing for others. We risk by speaking uncomfortable truths for the sake of the voiceless in our community, so that justice and mercy might be present in this place. We risk by showing up, when we are afraid of being hurt again, hoping in the reconciliation that comes from God’s grace found at the table of God’s love.
I wonder what Esperanza would look like if we all lived our lives with heaven in our hearts every day. I suspect we’d see a lot that looks similar to what it does now, but I also suspect a lot of things might end up being different as well. So I wonder, sibling in Christ, what does heaven on earth look like to you? How are you working to be a part of God’s coming reign here in this moment, as we prepare for his coming again this Advent season? I invite you, come and ponder these things in your heart in worship and prayer this season. God is present in this place, and God continues to do amazing things through the inbreaking of God’s kingdom come.
Pastor Chris