The Emerald City

02/03/2006

The plane I was on was coming in for a landing-this was just a stopover in Las Vegas. I flew out of the Bay Area on a Friday night, after work, catching the red-eye to Florida. Little did I think about what that meant...most people catching a plane after work on a Friday night, heading for Vegas, were staying in Vegas! It was a full flight, needless to say, and they were ready to let the celebration begin! The partying started before the plane left the ground, as shouts of "Viva Las Vegas" filled the air!

I read a bit of the book I had with me, "Stepping Heavenward" by Mrs. E. Prentiss, but for the most part, I slept through the excitement. A little Dramamine, a busy week, and I was out like a light! It seemed like we had arrived in Vegas in a mere instant when the pilot woke me with his announcement of our decent into the desert city. I glanced out the window, and for some strange reason, I thought of Heaven as I saw the lights on the strip below.

It might seem strange to be thinking of Heaven when arriving in Las Vegas, but who can know the ways of God? It seemed, even with this, God wanted me to experience Him. To not miss what even a town like Vegas can speak to the heart of a believer.

They say "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Well, I wasn't staying in Vegas, so I'll share with all of you what God was teaching me!

As the plane was approaching the city, it was as if God was saying,
"What if you were arriving in Heaven?"
"What if this plane you are riding on was approaching The Emerald City?"
"What if Jesus was going to greet you when you got off this plane?"

And looking at all the hotels along the strip...

"What if one of those rooms had been prepared just for you, and Jesus was going to escort you to that place?"
"What would you think of that?"

Well, I have to tell you, it got me to thinking!

"I wonder what Heaven will look like?"
"I wonder what Phil's arrival must have been like?"
"How was it when Jesus greeted Phil when he left this earth for Home?"
"What better Friend could you have meet you at the airport than Jesus?"

I thought about the rooms that I have seen personally in Vegas, those I've seen in movies, and those I've seen in brochures! There are some nice rooms waiting for the guests who come to Vegas. If I had a choice, I'd like one of those with the windows overlooking the city lights, one with a big hot tub to enjoy the sights in, and one with first class room service too! I'll tell you, I would feel like I had arrived if that day ever did come...but would I have? I mean, how would that even compare to what God has waiting for all of us in His Holy City?

In Revelation 21:10-12 (NIV), it is written:

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates.

Talk about a sight to behold? And we think Vegas is lit up at night? Verses 23-25 go on to say: The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.

"The city that never sleeps." That's been said of Vegas, but how about Heaven? What about the Great Place that awaits all believers when we leave this earth? Are we looking forward to our arrival in this wonderful place--to never sleeping, as we enjoy all the splendors that have been prepared for us?

In reading "Stepping Heavenward," given to me by my sister-in-law, I was intrigued by the journaling of a young woman, Katy, who was searching for God. She very much wanted to know her Lord, and at the age of 16, when the journaling started, she struggled with so many things in life. Katy's journaling continued through the years as she married, had children, and did all the normal things a woman in the 1800's would do. As life moved on, and as children were sometimes taken Home at an early age, she shared all the differing emotions her life contained. After the death of one of her friends, Katy was talking with her husband about it. He was a doctor. He began to share some things with Katy, and this part of their discussion really caught my attention:

"I can tell you, my darling, that standing, as I do so often do, by dying beds, this whole subject has become one of great magnitude to my mind. And it gives me positive personal pain to see heirs of the eternal kingdom, made such by the ignominious death of their Lord, go shrinking and weeping to the full possession of their inheritance."

I know the way it's written, being in the 1800's, makes it bit harder to understand, but simply put, What are we thinking?!! The place that Jesus has gone on to prepare for those that love Him is beyond what any of us can imagine, better than the best room in Vegas. It is a place where "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Rev. 21:24 (NIV)

What are we thinking?
What are we clinging to?
Why are we so fearful?

A few years ago, our Pastor Dave, who has since moved to Austin, Texas to pastor a church there, preached a Wednesday night sermon that Jim and I will never forget. Why? Because in his teaching that night, he pointed out something so important to us in our grief walk, that we have referred back to it many times since. Pastor Dave gave the illustration of this earth being like a Columbian Prison compared to Heaven. He went into more details than I can remember here and now, but I'll never forgot the main point he was making...what are we thinking about when we cling to our flea-ridden mattresses in the cells of earth when God has such wonderful things in store for those who believe in Him?

As the weeks and months and years passed by, and we would be somewhere thinking about how much Phil would have enjoyed this or that, how much he would have liked this burger, or that lobster, or this roller-coaster ride, we were comforted by that message. We knew that whatever we did, whatever we ate, wherever we went, it was like a Columbian Prison compared to what Phil was experiencing now in Heaven! Oh, how that helped.

Years later, we talked to Dave about his message that night, and he told us an interesting thing...he said that when he gave that message, we were on his mind. That is something I can relate to, because I know that sometimes God will give me a message to write and He will put a certain person on my mind as I write it--and more than once that very person will respond to the message I wrote, perhaps having never responded before.

That's how much God cares for each one of us. He cares about each individual heart and He knows just what we might need to go just one more step when it seems we are completely depleted. God will use many different ways of letting us know how much He loves us, and we know now that on that Wednesday night, God was speaking to our broken hearts, so we could get up the next morning, and the next, and keep putting one foot in front of the other through our grief.

So...

Why, oh why, do we "go shrinking and weeping to the full possession of their (our) inheritance?" The Emerald City, God's City, is there, waiting for all of us. All we have to do is make our reservation, get our name written down in the Book of Life, and then one day we will arrive in the Holy City, meet our Savior face to face, and be escorted to the place He has prepared for us. (Rev. 21: 27b, "but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.")

Revelation 21:6-8 tells us more:

He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

This is the good news and the bad news, all wrapped up in one paragraph. I like the first part, the inheritance...it's the second part, the "second death" that we should all be wary of. The Holy City is there, many we know have already arrived, many we know will soon be on their way, but some we know will never arrive. They may see it from afar, maybe, maybe not, but they will never "land" in the Holy City. Jesus will be there at the gate, arms wide open, but some will never enjoy such a glorious welcome because they never welcomed Him into their hearts on earth...and in the end they will go "shrinking and weeping," having missed the full possession of what could have been their inheritance. How sad is that?

In the book, Katy had another conversation with her friend, Amelia, who was dying:

"Don't look back to the past; it is useless. Give yourself to Christ now."
She shook her head.
"I don't know how," she said. "Oh, Katy, pray to God to let me live long enough to get ready to die. I have led a worldly life. I shudder at the bare thought of dying. I must have time."
"Don't wait for time," I said with tears. "Get ready now, this minute. A thousand years would not make you more fit to die."

What are we waiting for? Maybe we're waiting until after that trip to Vegas, or maybe after we get out of college. Maybe after we're married, or have our children, or retire, or are in a nursing home? Maybe then, we'll be ready to think about what might come next...maybe...probably not though.

Katy later writes, "How shall the world, even the Christian world, be convinced that it may have blessed foretastes of heaven while yet plodding upon earth..." (Pg. 228)

Can I share something silly with you? I used to think those deathbed conversions were cheating! Yes, I did! When I would hear of someone becoming a Christian while they were dying, I thought they got the best of both worlds. They got to live their life however they wanted it, and then when it was time to go, they said, "Yes" to God and went on to live in Heaven. I thought, "That's just not fair!"

But now I understand what Katy said on page 228 of "Stepping Heavenward." Even though those deathbed conversions are awesome, even though they have blessed many families who have prayed for years for their loved ones, bringing peace to many who are left behind, and tremendous joy that a reunion will be forthcoming when their days on earth are done--those that say "Yes" to Jesus Christ early on in life, for those of us that have the wonderful opportunity, the awesome privilege, of growing in our faith while we live out our days on this earth, we are the most blessed of all! We get the "foretastes of heaven while yet plodding upon earth."

You see, even though my plane was landing in Vegas, and most aboard were excited for what was ahead in this town of glitz and glamour, thinking perhaps that they were experiencing the best that this world contains for enjoyment, I was traveling on...my final destination was to see my best friend in Florida. My trip was not about how much money I could win playing Blackjack, or what slot machine might pay the most, or what show I might see or what buffet might hold the most delicious food...I was headed to something much more exciting and fulfilling than all of that...I would be tasting a bit of heaven on earth by experiencing what Jesus calls us all to, relationships with one another and ultimately a relationship with Him. That's the taste of Heaven that He longs for all of us to experience while we are still here. And when we do know Him as we should, when we fully grab hold of all the promises He has left us with, we will not go "shrinking and weeping" into our inheritance, but we will begin to understand all that He has waiting for us on the other side. When we can rest in that, we can rest here on earth first!

That's what I did on vacation. I rested. Now, when you are typically a "Mary" anyway--in other words, one who is known for resting at the feet of Jesus while Martha works away in the kitchen, and you take a vacation, how really different can that look from any other day? I'll tell you, it still does. The first few days I was in Florida, I felt worthless, because I had left all work behind. We don't realize sometimes how fast our world spins until we get away from it. I left the five and six lane freeways of the Bay Area and got on the B-line towards the coast from Orlando. Where was all the traffic and congestion? The air smelled different, tropical, and it was time to slow down. So I did! The second week I was there, I no longer felt worthless because of the lack of work to do, I felt relaxed! I believe it's just "What God ordered."

What does God want for us in this life? Is He saving Heaven for when we leave here, asking us to keep busy, work hard, be stressed, worry, fight for control, etc...or can the peace that Jesus left us with still be a reality in our lives even today? Of course we can't live every day on vacation, there is work to do, but what about all the rest? Keeping busy? Being stressed? Worrying? Fighting for control in our lives? Is that what God wants, or is that what we choose?

If I may, I'd like to quote one more time from "Stepping Heavenward," because I found this conversation between Katy and her husband to be quite profound. Katy had gotten irritated once again because of all the things she had to do in taking care of their household. Her husband pegged an underlying emotion that seems clear, once brought to the surface, but most times I believe we don't realize it. He said, "Now, I suppose that whenever you speak to me or the children in this irritated way, you lose your own self-respect for the time, at least, and feel degraded in the sight of God also."
Katy answered:

"Oh Ernest! There are no words in any language that mean enough to express the anguish I feel when I speak quick, impatient words to you...God only knows how I hate myself on account of this horrible sin!"

Now listen to Ernest's answer to his wife...

"It is a sin only as you deliberately and willfully fulfill the conditions that lead to such results. Now I am sure if you could once make up your mind in the fear of God never to undertake more work of any sort than you can carry on calmly, quietly, without hurry or flurry, and the instant you find yourself growing nervous and like one out of breath, would stop and take breath, you would find this simple, commonsense rule doing for you what no prayers or tears could ever accomplish. Will you try it for one month, my darling?"

Her husband went on to tell her, being a doctor, that he had prescribed the same thing for a few of his patients and it worked like a charm. Here is Katy's response to her husband's suggestions:

"All this sounded very plausible while Ernest was talking, but the moment I got home, I snatched up my work from mere force of habit."
"I may as well finish this as it is begun," I said to myself, and the stitches flew from my needle like sparks of fire. Little Ernest came and begged for a story, but I put him off....

I've shared all this to say, I think we do this to ourselves because we don't actually trust in a better way of living this life.
If we don't do it, who will?
If we don't worry about it, who will?
If we don't set the record straight, who will?

I've had a couple of people share with me just recently about control issues. How the lack of control they have in certain situations makes them uneasy, irritable, sick even. Is this what God wants? Do we think that God wants complete control in our lives so that He can make us miserable, or do we really understand that when God is in control, when we give it up, we can rest as we should. We can rest by being the children of God we have been called to be. Do we understand that having a childlike faith in our adult years is the best gift our Father in Heaven can give us besides the gift of eternal life offered through His Son? Eternal life is awesome, it fills us with hope for what is to come, but we're here right now. We're struggling right now, we are stressed and worried and hurried and have had about enough of what this life has for us right now!

And yet we'll say when God calls us to be still, "this sounds very plausible, but the moment we get home we snatch up our work from mere force of habit."

New habits are called for here! Even on vacation!! In talking with a friend today, she said that one challenge she has with going on vacation is finding someone to go with who will just "be" with her. She loves to travel, she loves to have a good time, but even vacations can wear you out if you let them! She wants time to be with her Lord, to pray, to read, to sit in the warmth of the sun and relax. If we're not watchful, the enemy will even ruin our vacations. We'll pack our "habits" in our suitcases, pull them out as soon as we arrive, and never find the restful time we have gone looking for. We'll buy into the devil's lie that we are worthless unless we are moving, and moving fast, and we'll miss what God wants to share with us while we have more time to be with Him!

I found peace on my vacation. A deeper peace than what we will find in our normal day-to-day comings and goings, and even on normal vacations, for the most part. All those who got off in Vegas found fun...they found excitement as the bells jingled and the money came and went. They danced, saw shows, ate too much good food and probably even went home telling all the stories that were supposed to "stay in Vegas." I came home to tell a different story though...one I believe God wants told-that He is our ultimate Vacation Partner. That what He offers us is worth more than all the money in Vegas. That His "city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Rev. 21:23 NIV)

This is not to say God doesn't allow for times out and about too. I spent the last day of my vacation at a musical comedy, and I had to smile. Unbeknownst to me, my friend had gotten me a ticket to see "Wicked." A sweet, funny play about the untold story of the witches of Oz. God, being God, sat me down in front of a large curtain on that day, with a map of the Land of Oz painted on it. And what was right in the center of the curtain? The Emerald City, sparkling in shades of green as the stage lights hit it. God knew I had left my laptop behind, desiring to spend time with my best friend, Deb, and my Best Friend, Jesus Christ, on this trip. But He was already preparing this message that I am writing today. He pointed out the lights of Vegas as we landed, filling me with the joy of what the day will be like when I arrive in Heaven and my Best Friend greets me and shows me to my room. He reminded me of The Emerald City when I saw all the twinkling lights of Vegas below, and how His Holy City was designed even more beautifully than that:

The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
Revelation 21:18-21 (NIV)

God is in control of our every day, at work and at play. Even as we rest, He plans out each day to be a wonderful miracle of timing, precision and care, as He teaches us and shows us how intimately He is involved in our lives. He already knew I would write this message before I ever left home. He already knew what I'd be thinking as my plane landed in Vegas. He already knew when my best friend greeted me in Florida, that she had things prepared for me that were wonderful and would complete this message, and He already knew that His lesson would be that any splendor on earth is only a shadow of the things yet to come when we take that final journey Home.

That's what He wants me to tell all of you, because what happens in our lives should not stay in our lives, but be shared with everyone we know! He wants us to slow down, to be still, and to know that He is God, especially on vacation! In doing so, we will see clearly how intimately He is involved in everything that happens.

One last story, and then I'll be done... My sister makes beaded jewelry with small bits of scripture worked into the beading. I wanted to take a bracelet to my friend, but I couldn't remember what I had wanted it to say, so I asked God and He reminded me it was, "Be Still."

"Yes, that was it! So, "Be Still" it was, and my sister designed the bracelet and I took it with me. I wondered when would be a good time to give it to Deb, so once again I asked God, and waited. One morning, shortly after I got there, we were having our quiet time together and I felt it impressed upon my heart to turn to Psalm 46...and there it was, in verse 10, "Be still, and know that I am God." It was time. I got up, went and got the bracelet and gave it to her. I could not have told you that was what Psalm 46 said before that morning, but I won't forget it now!

That's the joy of the Lord at work! That's the foretaste of Heaven we get to experience on this earth--to know that our Almighty Father loves us enough to be that intimately involved in the details of our lives. That He will take care of all our needs when we hand them over to Him. That's how we find true rest, give up control issues that plague us and live the abundant life Jesus calls all of us to, one that leads us right into His waiting arms!

I came back from my vacation rested, inspired, and looking forward to each new day more than ever before! I made only a short stop in The Emerald City of Las Vegas, but I brought home stories about the Holy City of God that will last a lifetime...stories I can share!

Thanks for listening,
Diane