A Glorious Homecoming

Good Morning,
 
Some of us are more advanced in years, and perhaps that would be cause to wonder more often about the end of life.  Last week we finished our study of Pilgrim's Progress.  After the long journey to heaven, Christian and Hopeful crossed the river, and entered the Celestial City.  Because this event is so unknown to us, we humans use imaginative ways of describing different possibilities.  The old spiritual says:  "Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home."  Some are expecting to see a bright light in death that will grow brighter and brighter as they drawn closer to it.  Whether it is a river crossing, a band of angles coming for us, or a bright light that draws us, we do know that it will be a pleasant experience, for we will be ushered into the presence of our Savior, the One who died for us. 
 
In his book, "The Best Is Yet to Be", Henry Durbanville told the story of an elderly woman who lived in southwest Scotland. She hoped someday to see the city of Edinburgh, but was afraid to take the train because it had to go through a long tunnel to get there.

Things came up and she was forced to take that trip to Scotland's capital. Filled with fear and anxiety, the trip began and she became more anxious the longer the train traveled with her down those tracks. Before the train reached the long tunnel, the older woman, exhausted with worry, fell fast asleep. When she awoke, she was already in the city.

The author commenting about the story says:  "It is even so with the dying saint. He closes his eyes on earth, passes into what he thinks of as the tunnel of death, and opens them immediately in the celestial land."
 
"Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."  2 Corinthians 5:6-8

Your earthly body is nothing more than a temporary home. Moving day is coming for everyone. You'll never know when the moving truck will pull up to your "house," with its crumbling foundation, failed heating system, and cracked windows, load up what's left inside, and take it away to your new home.

The Scripture says, "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come" (Hebrews 13:14). As moving day approaches, it is important to realize in these analogies that death for the believer is not a dreaded parting-it is a glorious homecoming.

May God bless you today, as you stay focused on Jesus, never forgetting you are loved!!!
 
Henry