Joy is the serious business of Heaven
C.S. Lewis
This, my final post in a series looking at the joy of being a Christian. This is the grand finale!
...a marrow, a castle and the watchword of Heaven
'This is a marrow....'
I recently heard a tale. It takes place in 21st Century Sussex, a rural county in the quaint English South, where farmers pride themselves on their marrows and where neighbours share and share alike.
My storyteller (you know who you are) was driving merrily along, transporting her young brother home one summer's eve, when said brother suddenly spoke:
"Sister", he exclaimed "Stop the car! I need my free marrow!" (dramatic reconstruction)
"Your marrow" She replied in disbelief. "Have you lost your marbles, brother?" (Marbles is a highly popular game in Sussex)
It turned out, to her amazement, that a free marrow did indeed await them. A small table stood outside a house. Beside it a chalk board read 'Free Marrow'. Her brother promptly jumped out of the car, picked up the marrow, and reentered the car, clutching his new marrow.
Why am I telling this story? Fascinating though the rural culture of 'the south' most surely is!
The reason is simply this: the marrow was free, the growers wanted to share their produce. But it had to be taken. It had to be received. How great is that? What kind people- people who grow marrows with the intent of humbly bestowing their harvest upon strangers.
God has freely offered up himself as the substitute for us. We no longer have to be labelled 'sinner'. Jesus Christ has given us a gift, a free gift. Lets take it!
And who, after being treated so grandly, wouldn't want to thank the giver and hold them in great respect?!
'This is a castle....'
Actually this is Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. A fine castle to be sure. I recently went to Warwick Castle and then to Arundel Castle. Before that I went to the Tower of London. I love Castles. Can you tell?
What is the point of a Castle? No, it isn't simply a place for aging volunteers in tweed jackets to spend their afternoons! (Note to self: try to get that job in 40 years time!) A Castle is built to secure and defend. A castle is designed to keep invaders and intruders out. Its purpose is to protect its inhabitants and its treasures.
Jesus spoke some of the most wise words to ever be spoken:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Good advice. How joyful would you be if you knew that your future was safe in the vaults of Heaven? Would you not rejoice if you knew that your eternal soul was guarded and defended by the Lord God himself? Why are Christians joyful? Because our lives are safe from any threat, from any marauding army or blitzkrieg strategy.
The Bible promises many things to Christians. One thing we aren't promised is riches and glamour and good looks. We know that 'the best is yet to come'! All of the joys and blessings we have now will be even greater in Heaven: a real literal physical place where we will live for eternity with the Lord God. Because we know we have this eternal future prepared and safe, we can live without seeking fame or glory or money.
In the book of Psalms, God is regularly referred to as our 'fortress'. If our hope for the future is in the Lord God Almighty then it is safer than the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.
'This is a watchword [keypad]'
Throughout history, watchmen and guards have used a simple mechanism to find out who is their 'friend or foe'- a watchword.
Until the early 19th Century, armies tended not to have uniforms, most soldiers simply wore a peasants garb. The English Civil war between King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell is a particularly good example of this. Both sides looked identical! Who was who?!
Unsure of who they were fighting, the men would challenge their opponents with a watchword. Remembering the right word was literally the difference between life or death.
So, what is the watchword of Heaven?
Its important to get it right.
When I was 15, through God's guidance and love, I learnt the watchword. Its simple and its marvelous. But if, like a civil-war soldier, I didn't stop and learn the word, then my future would be sealed. One day we will die, everybody does, and then it will be too late to learn the watchword.
Would you like to know it? Do you want the freedom, contentedness, purpose and assurance of a future which Jesus grants his people?
I asked Jesus for the watchword. This was what I learnt,
I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
The door of Heaven stands open to all who Jesus invites in. The Watchword is Grace. Jesus Christ died upon a cross, to take away our sins. He rose again (a grave couldn't hold the author of life) to show us the way.
Do you see now why Christians are full of joy?
I've been trying to tell you a little about this joy. Just a glimpse. A crack of light through a door left ajar.
The wonderful thing about this joy is that it is free for all: thats the marrow!
This unspeakable joy is safe and unmoveable: thats the castle!
Jesus stands by an open door because of God's grace: thats the watchword of Heaven!
Wow! Best blog post about marrows, castles and watchwords I've ever read :) Nice finale.
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