Where We Live & Where We Work – 6.3.22
In his book, Oneness Embraced: Reconciliation, The Kingdom, and How We are Stronger Together, Dr. Tony Evans outlines how the “kingdom agenda” is the foundational philosophy behind all that he does as a pastor. He reminds readers that followers of Jesus Christ are citizens of heaven, and their allegiance belongs to God’s kingdom rather than to the kingdoms of this world. To illustrate this point, Evans tells a brief story about a man in need of a shoe repair. The man was in a rush to make it to the shop before closing at 5pm. Upon arrival right at 5pm he noticed that the parking lot was empty and figured he had just missed his opportunity. Since he was there, he went ahead and tried the door. To his surprise it was open and the repairman was still there. The man was relieved and expressed his gratitude as well as surprise that the repairman was still there, given the empty parking lot. The repairman told him that he made it just in time as he was about to close up and go home. Confused as to how the repairman would get home, the man raised the empty parking lot once again. To which the repairman pointed to a staircase in the back and said, “I live up there, I just work down here.”
Can we say the same thing? I live up there, I just work down here. Do I live as if my citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20)? Am I more invested in God’s kingdom agenda, or am I more enamored by the kingdoms of this world (James 4:4)? Few things put these questions in perspective like death. Wrestling with grief, mourning a loss, confronting our own mortality, and questioning the fairness of an untimely death – all produce the sobering effect of making us contemplate eternity. As good as life is here, so much is not the way it should be, or was intended to be. The impact of sin, evil, abuse, poverty, and the like, at times is too much to bear. Considering the news over just the last month is enough to make us shake our fists toward the sky and cry out for God to intervene. We need the hope of things yet to come to sustain us.
Last week was the end of our school year. Typically this is a time of celebration as students graduate, receive awards, participate in field days, and so much more. Laughter fills the halls, smiles abound, the closure of one year is mixed with the hope of the next, and it is palpable. This year, however, our community was rocked by the sudden and tragic death of an 11 year old student in a car accident. So hard. I can’t understand this kind of loss, it is inexplicable. Please join me in praying for his family. This is not how things should be. He lived a beautiful life and was a beautiful boy, but he left this world far too soon. What I do know, however, is this young man was a follower of Christ. He lived up there, he just worked down here. And boy did he work down here. The stories of his joy and kindness are virtually endless. We was a peacemaker, hospitable and welcoming to all, loved to learn about God and His world, loved to sing and worship, loved baseball, loved legos, and he freely spread his joy with everyone. He lived up there, but just worked down here.
Because of his citizenship, we can take solace in moments like this in the words of Jesus. Check out this exchange from John 14: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. When this young man left this world, he moved into the home Jesus had prepared for him. He was a citizen there all along and he had a home waiting for his arrival. He did his job well here on Earth, even though it was only for a short time, and now he has moved home.
This is the invitation for all of us. Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await our Savior Jesus (Phil. 3:20). Jesus will transform our lowly bodies so they will be like his glorious body (3:21). This is our hope in the midst of the struggles of this world. Let us cling to it with everything we have. Jesus told his disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Peace can only be found in Him. While we have troubles in this world, we must remember that Jesus has overcome the world. Those who are “in Him” have an eternal home prepared for them – this is our hope. C.S. Lewis reminds us, “Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.” Jesus has a place prepared for us and He will come back to take us to be with Him. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. This world is not our home. We live up there, we just work down here. Let us remember where our allegiance lies, and use the time we have to further God’s Kingdom agenda while we are here.
In Him,
Andy
An Alien Journey 