Gotta recognize heaven when you see it.

We pray “Thy kingdom Come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. That’s pretty heavy stuff. I’m sure God doesn’t expect us to start building mansions here with streets of gold! Could heaven be what we have started working on here? What would that look like?

One thing for sure, it’s got to include everyone. Last evening I saw 300 kids of all ages on the first soccer practice for this spring. There were a dozen students from Goshen collage out there mixing it up with the kids. The coach was Asian, the head coach at the collage. I learned he came here from Laos as a refugee after the war, sponsored by the church and has been here ever since. The little 3 year old Afro-American who kept running around getting in the way was his adopted son. Soon his European looking mom rescued her son from the 7 year olds as she attempted to let him know he is not yet 5. The Love keeps getting passed around. This has gotta to be a vision of heaven.

We went to church at Waterford Mennonite Church with my wife’s brother and his wife. In a quiet way this church cultivates gifts, inspires faith, walks with people through difficulties of all sorts, shares the cost of Christian education, blesses people in missions of all kinds. This Sunday they started a fund raiser for one man needing a heart transplant, prayed for several people in the retirement community who could not be here, in Sunday school a teacher shared her concern for a child in her classroom whose mother was dying of cancer, a wide mix of ages mingled in the vestibule including 4 generations of the family we stayed with during the break between the 1^st and 2^nd service. This has gotta be a vision of heaven.

Life hasn’t been easy in the Goshen-Elkhart during this financial down turn. We talked about substantial personal losses but one sensed no anger or resentment. We talked about leadership transitions at church with no anxiety, oh yes she does happen to chair the search committee we learned as they had many times before. As we walked the campus young people on campus were met with interest and appreciation in a natural authentic type of way. Accepting loss without resentment, radiating contentment with oneself, supporting others without reserve, these people we stayed with have contributed to and helped shape this spiritual community for several generations from the pew. Indeed, we gotta recognize heaven when we see it.

Working the day job selling quilts she spends a lot of time outsourcing the skilled needle work among many Amish women craftsmen. I sensed a strong respect for the Amish community and I asked about this. Yes I do, she responeded, or course there’s bad apples in every bunch like everyone else. Being an outsider I am seen as a safe person to talk to. I enjoy them especially when they are unpredictable. One outspoken lady said, “Here I am caring for mother, I have garden work to do and we have church this weekend….how am I going to clean my house? They will just have to take me as I am.” Indeed this was unthinkable. Two sisters came and cleaned her house for her. Some would call them Amish, I think of them as children of God. Yes, we gotta recognize heaven when we see it.

All this after spending just one week here in Goshen, tomorrow we head home to our own experience overcoming the barriers established by culture, language, faith differences, economic and educational differences, bridging the generations, supporting each other in our various physical and mental deficiencies creating the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. Some may look for signs and wonders, but recognizing the kingdom of heaven is a celebration of the ordinary, we just need to recognize it. After reading the beatitudes, I think Jesus would agree.