A Taste of Heaven on Earth

This past weekend, our church family had the wonderful gift of hosting Caminemos Juntos, a global gathering of Latino ACNA leaders. About 200 people attended the conference, traveling from all over the United States as well as Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Chile. Church of the Resurrection folks really stepped up. In all, 19 host families provided hospitality for over 30 people. A special thanks to Diana Soerens for her tireless efforts to match host families with conference attendees. (She even found a host family in Mexico City for a Chilean band member who got hung up by Mexican immigration officials.) On Sunday, we had the privilege of hearing from our dear brother in Christ, Archbishop Tito Zavala.

Why was this so significant for our church family? Of course it’s always good to provide hospitality to brothers and sisters in Christ as they pass through town. The Bible has plenty to say about that. But I’m even more moved by the vision of heaven that we find scattered throughout the Bible. It’s a joyful vision of a global, multiethnic, multilingual community of people singing praise to God the Father for our redemption in Christ. The first book of the Bible begins with a promise to Abraham that he will be blessed so that he can be a blessing to all the nations of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). And the last book of the Bible gives us this glimpse of how that promise to Abraham will be fulfilled:

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

This past weekend it was good to get a sample, a sneak preview, of that glorious biblical vision. It’s exciting to part of a surging Anglican movement that is truly global in scope. May our hearts long for it more and more! And may we get a taste of it in our day.

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