{"id":1424,"date":"2015-11-03T19:15:25","date_gmt":"2015-11-04T01:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=1424"},"modified":"2015-11-03T19:15:25","modified_gmt":"2015-11-04T01:15:25","slug":"the-saints-are-in-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/11\/03\/the-saints-are-in-heaven\/","title":{"rendered":"The Saints are in Heaven"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9HMyIZwQNhc?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/sermons\/?sermon_id=71\">Audio Version<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">All Saints<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Year B<\/span><br \/>\nIsaiah 25:6-9<br \/>\nRevelation 21:1-6a<br \/>\nJohn 11:32-44<\/p>\n<p>Today we remember former saints and sinners, known only now as saints, who from this congregation, have died and have been lifted to heaven.\u00a0 We also lift up today, all the loved saints that have passed in previous years, with their names written upon the walls of this church.\u00a0 Some of you may have caught what might be an assumption on my part.<\/p>\n<p>I did say and I intentionally said, died and have been lifted to heaven.\u00a0 This is more than an assumption.\u00a0 It is something greater than assuming that those who believe, will be in heaven.\u00a0 It is a trust, in a promise by God, though our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.\u00a0 In other words, I have faith that those believers who have died before us, now live with God in heaven.<\/p>\n<p>In the Bible study on Friday, we had conversation around when someone actually goes to heaven.\u00a0 We are told that there will be, not that there is, <u>but will be<\/u> a new earth and a new heaven, Revelation 21:1.\u00a0 This is a question that I had as well, at least at one point.\u00a0 When is the new heaven and earth?\u00a0 When will we be in heaven?\u00a0 It really started to consume me and I worried about how long I may lay in the ground, waiting for the resurrection.\u00a0 Was it a year, two and or two thousand or more years?\u00a0 Just how long would it take?<\/p>\n<p>For some this may not be an issue for others it is.\u00a0 Our Lutheran theology teaches us that God lives in the past, present and future.\u00a0 God does not live singularly in any linear time but lives outside of time.\u00a0 Time has <u>no<\/u> <u>real<\/u> <u>meaning<\/u> for God.\u00a0 Where as we live in a linear time. We can know what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present.\u00a0 We might be able to predict, which is different from God who knows, what might happen in the future.\u00a0 Where God knows what is happening in the future.<\/p>\n<p>When we die, how long then do we wait?\u00a0 We wait until Jesus comes back and there is a new heaven and a new earth, how ever long that is.\u00a0 However, that being said, we by faith believe we will be in heaven with God, raised into new bodies.\u00a0 Therefore, what may be thousands of years will seem as a blink of any eye because we no longer will exist in this linear time but in God\u2019s realm, outside of time.<\/p>\n<p>Have faith, that the loved ones who have passed this last year.\u00a0 That the loved ones who have passed in previous years, reside in heaven with the Father and Son, it is now for them and it is our, future for us.<\/p>\n<p>There is something else that I wanted to share from the Bible study as well.\u00a0 As we were reading Revelation, I was excited at hearing of the new heaven and new earth.\u00a0 Not all were as excited as I was.\u00a0 Oh don\u2019t get me wrong, I like how things are going, mostly.\u00a0 I trust in that promise of life in death and how much better, how fantastic it will be in the world, in the heaven, to come.<\/p>\n<p>As Christians, we can have hope for something better.\u00a0 The better, we may see glimpses of, as heaven begins to break through to the here and now.\u00a0 It is the glimpses and the hope in the promise of new bodies, and everlasting life in heaven that brings on my excitement for end times.\u00a0 We are an eschatology<\/p>\n<p>people.\u00a0 Which is nothing more than a fancy name for we are a people of ends times.\u00a0 End times deals with death, judgment, heaven and hell.<\/p>\n<p>End times, is the beginnings of new life, new earth and new heaven.\u00a0 There is nothing scary about that and there should not be.\u00a0 God has made a promise to us in Jesus.\u00a0 God is always true.\u00a0 God never breaks God\u2019s promises.\u00a0 God can be trusted to keep what God says God will do in the Son, The Christ, Word, Life and Light to the world.<\/p>\n<p><sup>16\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cFor God so loved the world that [God] gave [God\u2019s] only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.<\/p>\n<p><sup>17\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cIndeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. <sup>18\u00a0<\/sup>Those who believe in him are not condemned;<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\"><sup><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Today, when we read the litany for the saints, remember there is hope in the promise of God, which is faith, and there is NO qualifier of how much faith.\u00a0 Have faith my sisters and brothers, our loved ones are and will be in heaven and we too shall see them when we go to heaven.<\/p>\n<p>Amen<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\"><sup><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> <em>The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/em> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Jn 3:16\u201318.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Audio Version All Saints Year B Isaiah 25:6-9 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44 Today we remember former saints and sinners, known only now as saints, who from this congregation, have died and have been lifted to heaven.\u00a0 We also lift up today, all the loved saints that have passed in previous years, with their names written &#8230; <span class=\"more\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/11\/03\/the-saints-are-in-heaven\/\">[Read more&#8230;]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[87,11,28,21,78,68,10,70,79,36,83,39,35,47],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-1424","6":"format-standard","7":"category-christ","8":"category-death","9":"category-eternal-life","10":"category-faith","11":"category-gospel","12":"category-hope","13":"category-jesus","14":"category-life","15":"category-light","16":"category-promise","17":"category-sermon","18":"category-sin-2","19":"category-trust","20":"category-truth"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-mY","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2320,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2019\/12\/04\/who-are-the-saints\/","url_meta":{"origin":1424,"position":0},"title":"Who are the saints?","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"December 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"All SaintsYear COld Testament Daniel 7:1\u20133, 15\u201318New Testament Ephesians 1:11\u201323Gospel Luke 6:20\u201331 Revised Common Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2009). https:\/\/youtu.be\/AjUahACdUG8","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Saints&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Saints","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/all-saints\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1949,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2017\/12\/07\/all-saints-2017-there-is-more\/","url_meta":{"origin":1424,"position":1},"title":"All Saints 2017:  There Is More","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"December 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"On the same date | Special Days All Saints (Observed) Year A Revelation 7:9\u201317 1 John 3:1\u20133 Matthew 5:1-12 Romans 8:31-32 Romans 8:35 Romans 8:37-39 John 14:1-6 1 Corinthians 15:51\u201357 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Yaqd3z2VCoA","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Saints&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Saints","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/all-saints\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Yaqd3z2VCoA\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3571,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2025\/11\/02\/god-speaking-always\/","url_meta":{"origin":1424,"position":2},"title":"God Speaking Always","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"November 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"November 2, 2025All Saints Sunday 1 Kings 19:1-18 (NIV)John 12:27-28 (NIV) https:\/\/vimeo.com\/1132973951?fl=sm&fe=ec","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Saints&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All 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Bless","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"November 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"November 1, 2020 Revelation 7:9-171 John 3:13Matthew 5:1-12 \u00a0 https:\/\/vimeo.com\/476752110","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Saints&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Saints","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/all-saints\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1017,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2014\/08\/12\/respond-step-out-and-trust-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":1424,"position":4},"title":"Respond, Step out and Trust Jesus","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"August 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Audio Link [youtube:http:\/\/youtu.be\/lW2vcgw0pa0] 1 Kings 19:9\u201318 Psalm 85:8\u201313 Romans 10:5\u201315 Matthew 14:22\u201333 Our God comes to us in many shapes and forms.\u00a0 God loves us and wants the best for us always.\u00a0 God loves all of humanity and wants the best for all of God\u2019s creatures.\u00a0 Do you believe that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Evangelism&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Evangelism","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/evangelism\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/lW2vcgw0pa0\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1364,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/06\/21\/fear-and-faith-jesus-responds\/","url_meta":{"origin":1424,"position":5},"title":"Fear and Faith: Jesus Responds","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"June 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Sunday, June 21, 2015 | After Pentecost Proper 7 Year B Job 38:1\u201311 Psalm 107:1\u20133, 23\u201332 2 Corinthians 6:1\u201313 Mark 4:35\u201341[2] Prior to our Gospel from today, Jesus and His disciples spend the day at the seaside. 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