(These were my personal thoughts from April 29th of 2011)
So I woke up at 0451 to watch the wedding between Prince William and Kate and it was so worth it. There was so much opulence, decadence, a sense of entitlement, luxury at its finest, reverence, respect and power. Westminster Abbey was packed with royalties from everywhere including a sultan, kings, and a few international celebrities. In fact anybody who is “somebody” (by the world’s standards) was there or had received an invitation.
The outfits were elegant and ‘haute couture’, beautiful clothes, shoes, hats. Makeup was perfect, attitudes demure and somber. The cars that brought the guests were top of the line: Bentleys, Porsches, Jaguars…You could feel the power and entitlement emanating from Westminster Abbey amongst the thousands seated there even through the television set.
Isn’t Westminster Abbey stunning? The architecture is breathtaking, the sculptures are perfection itself and I am left wondering what it would be like to actually be there in person.
Now, let’s talk about the bride’s dress. I found it simple yet modern. Of course, she had to cover her shoulders and arms but the slightly plunging neckline gave the dress a trendy look. I bet you all I got, today is probably the happiest day of her life and her mother’s as well and most people all over the world would surely do just about anything to be part of this big day. Just think of the throngs of people on the streets of London, camping out in London’s habitual dampness overnight. What about the billions of viewers worldwide who found themselves caught up in this frenzy and excitement of a couple they do not even know personally? Millions of souvenirs are flying off the shelves as fast as they are being produced in China, Korea and Mexico. The hundreds of spoofs in the newspapers, the media frenzy and the Youtube videos reveal how much the world wants to be a part of something bigger and better than themselves.
Whether you agree with me or not, it seems as if the rich, the entitled, the powerful, the famous and especially the royal family do seem to have more than an edge over the rest of us.
I truly am happy for Kate. What little girl doesn’t dream of becoming a princess like the fairy tales promise? I also am very conscious of the mortality of human beings…you and I, we all return to dust at some point in our lives, hopefully later than sooner. As soon as we are born, we begin to die. It may sounds corny and probably dreary but to embrace the promise of physical death is to embrace the significance of spiritual life.
This brings me to the concept of Heaven; I know my mind works kind of crazy right? How do I get Heaven from watching a royal wedding? Well, I was reminded of my inadequacies here on earth, the daily grind, the daily struggles which if I were to focus on would prevent me from bearing fruit as a believer. I was reminded that no matter how long I live on this earth, “this fallen world”, no matter how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ my life may be, I have something bigger and better than myself to look forward to. Something or someplace whose beauty far surpasses that of Westminster Abbey, where not only would there be opulence and decadence and power and riches but also a sense of entitlement for those who have answered the calling in God through Jesus Christ.
When asked about Heaven, T.D.Jakes says “I have traveled to and preached on nearly every continent and I have seen places that are breathtaking. From the crystal Alps of Switzerland’s noble peaks to the empty caverns, caves and craters of Hawaii, there is nothing to compare. No, not even the amazing sound of crackling glaciers in northernmost Alaska or the rumbling of running herds of elephants frolicking in the bush of South Africa. None of these earthly wonders measures up to the mystical majesty of the eternal blissful reunion between the soul and its Creator”
Now, if you don’t want to take the words of a televangelist, that is fine by me, but what does the Word of God say about Heaven? It does say a lot about it. It reminds us that there can be nothing evil, or sick or hungry or angry, or selfish in Heaven. That’s why sin is equated with HELL. In Chapter 21 of the book of Revelations (scary book if you ask my opinion), we find a detailed picture of Heaven called the New Jerusalem. Verse 21 tells us that, ‘the streets of the city were pure gold, as it was transparent glass “. Imagine that, pure gold! The gold that everyone is rushing to buy now in apprehension of the dollar collapsing would be used as floor material in Heaven, in its purest state. Heaven is above luxury, exceeds flawlessness, it has the Master Architect Himself and that’s the Good Lord that spoke everything into existence. He told the sun where to set and rise, the ocean where to stop and the land where to form. Furthermore, unlike Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, Heaven is forever.
Thousands of folks just wanted a glimpse of the royal family today; some got it, and most did not. For many believers in Christ, the opening of Heaven’s gates goes beyond its beauty and opulence, since the real beauty would be the presence of Christ…no not a glimpse of the High Priest, but His total presence. It is not about the house but rather the Host.
Over 2000 guests were invited to be part of the royal wedding today. The kingdom of Heaven is by invitation only too, except that it is extended only through the blood of Jesus Christ. All who seek and trust Him are invited, rich or poor, black or white, sick or well, prince or commoner; No one who heeds his call and follows Him need to be rejected.
Jesus reassures us in John 14:2-4 ” In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
The sobering truth is that relatively few people would go to Heaven, says the Bible, compared to the billions of people that would ever walk the earth. So billions of people would go to Heaven but compared to all the billions that are past, present and would be, the number going to Heaven would be few. Doesn’t that sober you? Doesn’t that make you think for just a minute where you would spend eternity? It makes me think and it should make you think too. Do not be fooled by religion. Do not be fooled by ethics or morality or worldliness. We were all created for a specific purpose here on earth. Upon departure, we all would stand in front of our Great and Majestic God and give an account of our lives. Some would ‘fool’ you here on earth saying salvation is about how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ you are, that is not only false but very misleading. Man is NOT good or bad, man is inherently and consistently selfish and evil. The sixth chapter of the first book of the bible, Genesis gives us a glimpse of the darkness lurking in all of us…yes even you. Gen. 6:56 says: “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on earth, and it grieved him to his heart” (ESV).
I know what you are thinking. You probably don’t get drunk, smoke, steal, curse, or cheat on your taxes. You even put money in the Salvation Army bucket during Christmas and help family and friends. You probably even go to church or consider yourself a ‘Christian’. Or maybe you grew up in the south where everyone is socially churched. You are a ‘Christian” because you know the right words to back up the right actions. You are therefore a ‘good’ person in your opinion and are quick to point to the rapists and murderers…the ‘Adolf Hitlers’ of this world as the ‘bad’ people, they deserve to go to hell, not you right? So let’s say you are morally “good” by the world’s standards but if you do not profess and possess Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you are not “saved’ from the penalty of hell.
What does that even mean? It just means Christianity is not a works-based religion. Any works not based on faith in Christ are worthless rags in front of God’s eyes. All the ‘good’ in us is filthy in front of God. The only bridge to God is Christ Jesus. He took the blame on the cross for sins He did not and could not commit- for our sins. When we heed the Father’s call in the Son, something beautiful begins to happen. Our righteousness is now from Christ. We may still fall into sin but God upholds Christ’s righteousness in lieu of that. Knowing Christ personally is not a nominal belief. Some people say “yes I know Christ but let me live my life MY way, God understands right?” WRONG! God found us in our filthy state but He intends for us to conform daily to His son Jesus Christ, not by our might and will-power but by His grace. Our lives must therefore reflect the Christ who died for us. Our whole lives must be subject to Him- from finances, to relationships, to jobs, to how we interact with each other and the world.
Ponder on that, think about it. If you do not know Christ personally and intimately and would like to, talk to a sincere follower of Christ who does. Someone whose lips not only profess Him but whose life actually reflects Him. I am sure you know someone like that. You probably make fun of them and call them conservative and closed-minded. If you don’t, I pray the Lord leads you to one of His children. We can be a huge and everlasting part of the beauty and majesty seen at Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, but on a grander scale in Heaven by the Grace of God.