A Glimpse of Heaven!

Last Sunday evening many people from the community and many from our church gathered for our annual Advent Dinner and the Blackwood Legacy concert. It was a wonderful night! For me, it was a glimpse of heaven. To be clear, I do not picture heaven as a crowded room with tables, chairs, and a potluck buffet line. The glimpse of heaven was so many people of diverse backgrounds who share a common faith gathering together for fellowship, fun, (yes-food, too), and sharing our God-given gifts with one another.

What a joy it was to watch as so many of you worked so hard to set up the room, decorate the tables, prepare the food, greet our visitors, and break out more chairs when even more people came! Although the room was crowded, there was a wonderful welcoming and peaceful atmosphere. To me, it was more like a family gathering than a "church" event. I believe that is how our "events" should be; and, therefore, I believe they are a small glimpse into what it may be like in heaven.

In addition to our church family sharing their various gifts and talents with one another (i.e. cooking, serving, greeting, etc.) and our guests, the Blackwood Legacy group shared their amazing God-given talent for music and comedy. Their performance was even better than their concert here earlier this year. I imagine that provides us another glimpse into heaven - each of us sharing our God-given gifts and talents with one another - for God's enjoyment and glory.

When we utilize the things, personalities, talents, and treasures God has given to us for His glory and for the building up of His Kingdom, that is a form of worship! From God's Word we know that worship is one of the primary aspects of life in Heaven - and rightly so! Only our glorious God is worthy of our praise and honor!

As we continue on in this season of Advent, let us take (and where necessary MAKE) time to slow down and remember the true reason for this Season. That God so loved the world that He sent His only Son into the world to save it (John 3:16). "The world" is you and I. God so loves us that He sent Jesus to die for our sins so that we could have LIFE! What an amazing gift this is!

I would commend you to write on a small piece of paper the following: For God so loved me that He sent Jesus into the world to save me from my sins and give me new life in Him. Because of His grace, one day I will be in heaven with Him, forever! Then wrap that up in a package with a tag on the outside “To you from God” and place it under your tree to open on Christmas morning. Make one for each person in the family so that everyone can be reminded of this most precious free gift that each of us share because of God's unfathomable love for us. Merry Christmas!