Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Sermon Excerpt

So, what will be so good about being there? To be sure, there will be lots to do, lots of very enjoyable and satisfying things to do. But there is a way of thinking about that so that the beauty of the place does not shine. There are lots of very enjoyable and satisfying things to do here. So, what will be so different about there? I want to talk about childhood. And I want to talk about a carefree childhood. Not every child has a carefree childhood, but I'm going to guess that most of you did. So, consider the carefree life of a young child. He is unaware of so much. He doesn’t think about making sure that there will be something for dinner. He doesn't think about the need to provide a place to live. He doesn't think about any bills. A young child getting up some sunny, summer day simply thinks about what fun things he wants to do. And as he does these fun things he can be quite carefree about it all. So, there is no to-do list that taps him on the shoulder from time to time to remind him of something waiting to be done. There is no sense of being responsible for someone else. There are no important long-term goals that need to be planned for and achieved. He's a young child simply enjoying his world. Adults are not like that, even when they escape for some vacation time. There seems to always be that weight of responsibility and those reminders of things to do. That weight and those reminders will be gone in the new heavens and new earth. Gone. So, what's left? A carefree life. Imagine, every day: no deadlines, no obligations, no to-do lists. Just a life of enjoying people and doing fun things. A carefree life. A very satisfying life. So, the very character of life then will be so different from what it is now. And that, it seems to me, is one thing that will be so very good about being there.