HEAVEN

32nd SUNDAY ORDINARY C Luke 20: 27-38 10:30 Now Jesus is being attacked by the Sadducees – those who believed that the deceased were planted in a grave forever with no springtime of immortality to believe in or to hope for. “You who claim to have existed before Abraham was, prove to us that you will exist after you die,” the Sadducees challenged. “If you’re so smart,” they baited, “that you believe in an afterlife, tell us about a widow and her seven husbands: whose wife will she be and in whose heavenly mansion will she dwell?” “Silly people,” Jesuse retorted, “don’t you know that in my Father’s kingdom you’ll be far closer to each other than marriage could ever make you be? “There won’t be any weddings in heaven because heaven itself is the wedding feast for all. You’ll be as close to each other as the merging of angelic songs.” And his words, like springtime flowers, perfumed the air with hope. But the Sadducees refused to smell the perfume, refused to experience the hope. Our gospel story today about the seven brothers and the one wife directs your attention to heaven. There is a story about Marge. Marge ran into a friend she hadn’t seen in some time. “And how is your husband?” Marge asked her friend. “Oh, he’s in heaven now,” her friend answered sadly. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Marge said and then realized that wasn’t what she meant. So she said, “I mean, I’m glad.” That didn’t sound right either. So Marge finally said, “Well, I’m really surprised to hear it.” Which one of us hasn’t wondered what heaven will be like? I was visiting with the heart doctor, a nice young man from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. At the end of the visit he asked me if I had any questions. I said, “Yes, what’s going to happen to me when I die?” He laughed and said, “I’ve been thinking about the same thing.” It is sometimes as frustrating as being trapped in a labyrinth at how our theologians can turn the simple images of Jesus into complex, heavily technical and at times indecipherable statements to explain what Jesus was saying. Theological definitions of heaven can make it seem like it’s not worth the effort to get there. How appealing, for example, is it to be told by theologians that heaven is finally entering into the eternal circumincession of the Trinity. Just makes you want to be consumed with efforts to get there, doesn’t it? And now Jesus speaks, stripped of all the theological jargon. He looks around at vineyards and wheat fields and his eyes come to rest on a mustard plant. The light of recognition sparkles in his eyes. His face breaks into a smile more captivating than a gorgeous sunset. Look, he says, at the mustard shrub standing in the sunlight of God’s glorious generosity. And look at how it offers shade for the nests of the birds of the air. Isn’t this as beautiful as the lilies of the field? You are all familiar with a mustard seed, Jesus says. It’s smaller than a fingernail, as tiny as a baby’s eyelash. Yet look at what happens when that seed bursts into the growth God calls it to have. From this simple image of the mustard shrub you can conclude that heaven is your continuous growth Throughout the entire gospel story, Jesus offers you the hope of everlasting life in heaven. And that hope is yours today. No matter how discouraging your life may be, you should never despair because God is forever calling you to continual growth Like the mustard seed you are in the process of growing and developing now and that process of growing and developing, I believe, will continue forever in heaven. HUMOR Real life is unpredictable and full of interruptions. The church is not immune to real life. We organize our worship, print an “Order of Worship,” and hope that everything goes as planned. But real life doesn’t follow a program. In a large and very formal church a particular woman visited one Sunday who just wasn’t with the program. She kept shouting out “Amen,” during the sermon. One of the ushers hushed her, but she kept shouting “Amen” until finally the usher approached her and, in a loud whisper asked, “Madam, what are you doing?” “I’m praising the Lord,” she said. To which he responded, “Well, church is no place for that sort of thing.” THOUGHT: Always hope for everlasting growth.