Third Sunday of Advent: Joy and Heaven

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”-Luke 17:20-21

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling— if indeed, when we have taken it off[a] we will not be found naked. 2nd Corinthians 5:1-3

Christians across the theological spectrum don’t necessarily agree on whether or not there is a heaven and if there is one, what it will be like. But many who believe in a heaven, insist that it is a physical place separate from earth and that those who enter it will be joyful. After all, there will be no reason for sadness or stress or anger. The aspects of human life that cause suffering and pain-will, in this rendering of heaven, be nonexistent. There will be no violence, injustice, hatred, etc. Many Christian denominations, encourage us, when things are tough to keep our eye on the prize: heaven.

I think viewing heaven as a future, other worldly realm can be helpful. It can serve as an inspiration for those going through tough times and it can serve as a reminder that pain and suffering is temporary. This view of heaven can serve as a motivating force for some people to power through difficult circumstances without losing hope. Unfortunately, like any theological concept, this idea of heaven can be twisted and interpreted in ways that reinforce the unjust status quo.

For example, the idea that heaven is a future, other worldly place can galvanize people to continue to work towards justice in the face of violence and oppression but it can also serve as an excuse for people to keep their heads down and maintain the status quo. We see this with some Christians who insist that we, as a species, do not need to care for the earth, since God will just create a new one anyway.

Or when some Christians tell those who have been victimized by a racist and discriminatory justice system not to worry or not to advocate for change because true justice will come in the afterlife. The idea of heaven, as a distant, other worldly place has been weaponized to reinforce the status quo. This idea of heaven also gives the impression that joy is a state of being that will only occur in the future when everything is perfect.

But the idea that heaven is a separate physical sphere that some of us MAY enter into after we die, is of course, just one way to understand the concept of heaven. Another concept, also found within the Biblical text, is the idea of the Kingdom of Heaven or God, as a possibility for the near future that occurs in the earthly realm.

Diana Butler Bass, in this week’s edition of her newsletter “The Cottage,” states that in the New Testament, “To speak of heaven, therefore, is another way to speak of the earth. Heaven presents an alternative vision of peace, blessing, and abundance to the world’s violence, oppression, and injustice. Because heaven embodies the sort of virtues that human beings long for, it is depicted as a place of perfection, a paradise.”

When heaven is understood as a place on earth, potentially occurring in the not-to distant future, it serves as both a source of hope that enables us to overcome difficult moments but it also motivates us to continue fighting against injustice in the here and now. This understanding of heaven also means that it requires a mix of both divine and human action. This idea of heaven still requires a measure of divine intervention, but it also requires that humanity does its part in advocating for a world free from oppression.

The idea of heaven as a distant, other worldly, space that we go to after we die, predominantly relies on divine action. God is the one who creates and maintains this heaven. Human responsibility is generally limited to believing certain things and/or participating in certain rituals before one dies.

But depicting the Kingdom of Heaven as immediate and as synonymous with earth, means that we humans have to get involved in bringing it to pass. We can’t sit back and say, “eh well, God will take care of it in the future.” We have to make choices now, that will create the type of future that we want. We can’t continue destroying this earth, in the hopes God will create a new, perfect one where pollution does not occur.

We can’t ignore the injustices occurring right now, in the hopes that God will hopefully, eventually, make things right. We have to foster the conditions for justice in the here and now. And this understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven, doesn’t just rely on human activity. God is involved every step of the way. Humanity sees a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven through Jesus and Jesus' challenge of the unjust status quo.

Additionally, if the Kingdom of Heaven can also be understood as potentially occurring on earth, it means that one can experience joy now, even in the midst of a world that appears to be on the verge of collapse. We don’t need to wait to experience joy until we die. We can experience joy now, by opening our eyes to the ways in which both humans and God are working together to create a just world.

I don’t think that as Christians we need to pick one vision of heaven over the other. I think both can coexist within our theological imagination. After all, they co-exist in the Biblical text. I think both understandings of heaven bolster one another. On the one hand, the idea of the Kingdom of Heaven as being a not so distant future possibility on earth, inspires us to work towards creating a world where oppression does not exist. It reminds us that God has given us the responsibility to create the world that we wish to see.

On the other hand, the notion that heaven is also a future and separate entity, can also enable us to hold onto hope in the here and now. It can give us the strength to continue fighting for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth by reminding us that violence, death, and destruction do not have the last word. Because let’s be real, while some Biblical texts describes the Kingdom of Heaven as occurring in the near future, the reality is, this vision of earth has yet to come to pass. It’s been thousands of years since the New Testament was written and compiled. And it may be thousands of more years before the Kingdom of Heaven on earth comes to pass.

For some of us, especially the older we get, heaven as another world, separate from us may seem more tangible and “real” then the idea of the Kingdom of Heaven. There’s nothing wrong with that. The important thing to remember is that we can hold onto both visions of heaven and they can both inspire us to create change.