A few years back, I was driving down the road when I noticed a very cool decal that seemed to have a cross as the center of it. The cross doubled as a “t,” and when deconstructed, the sticker used the letters, “n.o.t.w.” After doing a little internet sleuthing, I discovered that “NOTW” is the abbreviation for the phrase, “Not of this world.” In brief, that phrase has been used by some Christian communities to suggest that – as Christians – they were not actually residents of this planet, but instead were residents of the eternal home that Christ prepares for us. This philosophy suggested that our time on earth is simply a temporary layover on our way to the glory that comes when we’re taken up to heaven, however that might come about.
Shortly after that, I was introduced to a song that has been used in some celebrations of life and other situations where people who have died are honored. That song is titled “Temporary Home,” most popularly performed by country artist Carrie Underwood. The concept of the song is similar – our lives here are a temporary matter, and when we die, we will come to our eternal home in heaven. There’s something comforting about the idea that there is a better (perhaps perfect) place waiting for us after this life. After all, we know this world has its challenges, and many of us have hardships in this world we’re looking forward to not experiencing in what comes next for us. But there’s also a problem with this idea that is worth struggling with as we envision the eternal life that God has promised for all of us in the world to come.
Part of the problem is it’s important for us to remember that the world that we are on right now is the world that God created for us, and we are inextricably tied to this planet. Remember, when God formed Adam, he was formed out of the dust of this earth. So we recall, in our penitential remembrance of Ash Wednesday, that we are dust, and to dust we will all return. It is to this earth first that we return, even when we hope and believe in the realization of the day that we meet our Lord face to face. When we try to skip ahead to the ending, we miss the important reality that comes from our reliance on and responsibility to the place that God has placed us in the here and now. Unfortunately, some people have gone so far as to justify a lack of care for God’s creation by referencing the fact that God is going to be giving us a better home somewhere else someday. But in this moment, this is the place where we live, where we love, and where we build God’s kingdom through the work that we do. As much as we may look toward a time that is to come, we are also challenged and blessed with a here and now to live more fully into.
Family of God, I truly believe that there will be a time when we will experience the fullness of God face to face. I truly believe that what awaits us is far beyond our greatest imagining. But I also fully believe that God has given us a here and now to live into with joy and hope. May you see God’s presence and love in the here and now as fully as in the world to come, trusting that as we live into this day, God’s creative love for us is still being fulfilled in the here and now, for the sake of the world that we are all blessed to dwell within.
Pastor Chris