What will heaven taste like? It will be less like our ordinary Sunday services than we might imagine.
Our son and his wife recently moved into a neighborhood outside Miami, Florida, into a neighborhood which they describe in terms befitting the United Nations. They are white, their immediate neighbors are black, Cuban, and several other nationalities.
That is quite a bit more like what heaven will look like.
This past Thursday, Hope Presbyterian Church, the church I pastor, joined with St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church, pastored by my good friend James Roberts (pictured), for a joint Thanksgiving service. Pastor James brought with him their Young People’s Choir. You can hear a selection of their offering here. It was a wonderful service.
Is this what heaven might sound like?
It all suggests to me that heaven will not taste like anything familiar. But it also suggests to me that when we get to heaven, our taste for that which is not familiar but glorifying to God, will grow.
MagistraCarminum
I think heaven will be an eternity of delightful surprises as we meet and worship with brethren very different from us. And we boring white folk will also have something to add 🙂
Randy Greenwald
Do I detect a bit of defensiveness here? I no where suggested that a traditional white protestant service is boring, did I? No question that ALL cultures will bring something to the table. All cultures will have their tastes expanded, methinks.
MagistraCarminum
No defensiveness intended at all– only what is “normal” or boring to us, is not likely so to others, and I think we forget that sometimes. I meant no rebuke of any kind. We agree.
Geoffsnook
Randy,I love the Thanksgiving Service. I think that is a great tradition we should continue having at Hope. Yes, it was a little taste of heaven on Earth. And since we have that taste in our mouths, we should do all that we can to keep tasting it by living our life with the goal of Jesus’ Kingdom moving forward (bringing heaven to earth). BTW-it is good for white people to clap, eh? As long as we can stay on rhythm.
Gail
I don’t know, but I don’t think I like the direction of this discussion. It seems like our friends are treated as a circus sideshow. There are White congregations who clap in praise all the time; it is not unique. I appreciate that the point of the post is that residents of heaven are from every tongue, tribe, and nation, but using the example that was used just bothers me. G
Randy Greenwald
Sorry you feel that way, Gail. I don’t know what might make you feel that. I think my only point was that there is and will be diversity, and that we ought to celebrate and enjoy that diversity whenever we can. These are our friends, and I am humbled that they would come worship with us, and bring their gifts as they did. I guess I’m just missing something. If there is anything that would cause one to look twice, as one would do at a sideshow, is that here were black and white worshiping together. So, as Geoff suggested, we need to continue to labor to bring that bit of heaven to greater expression on earth. Certainly there is nothing here with which you can disagree? Again, I apologize for not understanding your reaction!
Gail
No, I don’t disagree. I don’t mean that Blacks and Whites worshiping together is a sideshow. That’s wonderful. The comments about the choir, the clapping seems condescending to me. You don’t get what I was trying to say and I’m at a loss to explain it. Maybe I’m just over sensitive. Should have gone with my first thought which was, ‘don’t say anything.’ G
Randy Greenwald
Okay, that helps. Nothing meant to be condescending, for sure. I think I can say that for all the commenters. (Geoff was poking fun at those of us who are more uncomfortable with physical expression.) And though as people with limitations we will not always understand one another, that is no reason to remain quiet. I’m glad you spoke up.