Things Kept in Heaven

It is an old cartoon cliché: There is a tall desk with a large book on it, St. Peter is sitting behind it, a line of people in front of it, surrounded by clouds with some punchline like, “It sounded like a good idea.”  Sometimes the punchline is missing and the picture tells the whole thing like a man sitting down with a steering wheel in one hand while he is looking at a cell phone in the other. The image comes from the idea that those who are going to heaven have their names written in a book and those who are not do not. I bring this up because of Peter’s reference to what is kept in heaven. For him it is the inheritance that you have received from Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. This inheritance – your inheritance - is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Unlike anything that you can save up on earth. For everything on earth perishes and fades. Just think about those things you desperately desired. Eventually their luster fades. Sometimes something new comes up that takes its place as the most desirable thing in your life. Only Jesus’ gift is eternal. Knowing that Peter urges his readers to see that they may persevere in all of life because their salvation is stored in heaven.

Peter’s strong conviction of that is a long way from the upper room where he and the other disciples hid from the Jews. I know that this story is the story of doubting Thomas but he is not alone in his doubts. The other disciples did not confess their belief until they also saw Jesus’ wounds. It was Thomas’ misfortune to not be there the first time Jesus came to the disciples. He might have been the only one with enough courage to leave the locked room to get food – courageous Thomas. Maybe he was the one who drew the short straw and had to go out to get supplies – unlucky Thomas. But the story is not so much about their doubts as it is about their faith and ours. You are mentioned here – those who did not see but believed. 

More importantly this text and the one from Acts gives us an insight on what we, who have come to believe, are called to do. The first thing is to proclaim Jesus’ gift to the world. That is what our story from Acts is about. It is the first thing that the disciples did after they received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Like the disciples we have also been filled with the Holy Spirit and are called to proclaim Jesus to a world that does not know him or just plain ignores his gifts. I know that seems to be difficult. But that is only because we are unpracticed at it. 

If your words fail you you can still proclaim Jesus by your deeds. We note that in our short account by John. Jesus gives the disciples peace three times. It is one of our tasks to take up that emphasis and promote peace in our world. Peace certainly is something that the world needs. We start that process with the other emphases of Jesus in this account, forgiveness. We certainly do not have enough forgiveness in our world. Too often people, when they feel wronged, resort to violence. It is a big world and the problem seems insurmountable. But we are not called to solve all the problems of the world in a day. We are called to be examples of how Jesus brings peace and forgiveness to the world.  

You have been filled by the Holy Spirit and with the disciples have known fear of the world. Instead of hiding in the upper room, go out and proclaim Jesus’ peace and salvation to a troubled and broken world.