URC Weekly 8/7/2011: What It’s Like in Heaven
Hi Everyone!
I got back from this year’s MORe (Ministry of Renewal) Retreat a few days ago. MORe is our denomination’s annual youth conference, planned and carried out by our own youth group and a few of our sister churches. Every year, the students and their leaders are deeply blessed, and it shows during the worship.
I think it was during the second night worship when P Sam came up to me. When I looked at him to signal that I was ready to listen, he pointed at the wild crowd and simply said, “heaven.” Then he smiled and walked away (Was it really you Sam? Or was that an angel appeared as you? Hmmmm….).
Actually, a better way to describe the crowd would be not just wild, but wildly joyous. Seriously, there is nothing like being right in the middle of passionate worship. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Then perhaps a video is worth a million words? Check this out to get a glimpse of what it’s like in heaven (you may be asked to log into your facebook account first):
Crazy, isn’t it (Thank you Garnet and Daniel for the video)? My hope is that one day, our worship will be like this on every Sunday. Not to say that jumping up and down and throwing ourselves in the air makes us better followers of Jesus, but I think the sheer passion for God is something that we can all enjoy.
Yet this powerful worship will not matter if our hearts are not willing. I remember being at a few previous MORe worships and feeling bored, weirded out, and out of place. I even remember looking down upon the people who were worshiping passionately as idiots, believers in something fake. Jesus tells us of the same lesson regarding our hearts in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-20).
Beloved family of Christ, I urge you to come to Sunday worship with a willing heart. I urge you to come with an expectation to hear God. I urge you to come seeking to be healed. But most importantly, I urge you to come as you are, for God has accepted all of us without judgment through faith in Christ Jesus.
We belong to heaven and our job here on earth is to bring that heaven to this earth. And it all starts in our hearts. May God bless us in our journey to let His kingdom come and let His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HELPED AT MORe: Ludia, Kristine, Ula, Daniel, Won, Jacob, Andy, David, Sam, Hyonroh
• COMMUNITY GROUP: Canceled due to our camping, next time will be 8/26 (Fri) @ Hyonroh’s
• BACKPACKS FOR KIDS: Please bring your backpacks by 8/14 (Sun)
• URC CAMPING: 8/14 (Sun) – 8/17 (Wed) @ Lake Cachuma, sign up by 8/10 (Wed)
• MEN’S SMALL GROUP LEADER DRAFT: 8/28 (Sun), details coming soon
• BABYSITTER WANTED: Possible paid position, Sun 7am-3pm
• NEW ELEMENTARY PASTOR: Welcome Pastor Isaiah & Pastor Esther
• SNACKS: None; we pack, have lunch, then go camping!!!
• SCRIPTURE READING/OFFERING: Deacon Sung Kim
• DEVOTIONS: Galatians 4 – Ephesians 3
would it trip you out if i told you that it wasn’t me that told you it was heaven? hahahah
yea….that’s definitely going into my journal if that is so.