Tuesday-Are We There Yet?

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

Hebrews 12:22,23

Long before seat belts, I would stand up in the back of our car and hold onto the front seat so I could watch my dad drive. He was the captain, and I was his first mate. When he turned the blinker on, I’d look to the left or right to make sure that nothing was in his way.

With my assigned place in the car, I could easily look out through the windshield. From here I could see everything that was in front of us. When we were in the city there were lots of buildings, restaurants, bridges, and lots of things to ask about. When we were driving in the country, there were lots of trees and fields to ignore and be bored with.

At the start of every drive, I needed to know where we were going. There was no not telling me our destination. I wanted to know. I had to know. And if my parents tried to keep it from me, I’d let out a flood of questions. Are we going here? Or are we going there? I kept bugging them till I knew where we were going.

You’d think that once I knew where we were going that I’d be happy. That I’d be satisfied. If you think that, you really don’t know me very well. Not long after we started on any drive I’d start with the “Are we there yet?” questions. After a few minutes I’d ask again. And again. And then again.

Eventually, one or both parents would blow up at me. Their patience had run out and they couldn’t take it any longer. I’d sit back and try to look out the side window for a while. If it was warm enough, I’d roll down the window and move my hand through the air. But in a few minutes, I’d get back up and start with the “Are we there yet” symphony again.

The writer has been taking the Hebrews on a road trip down memory lane. He’s driven them through their past. Down the old neighborhood roads of their history that they know so well. Retelling them all the stories that they’ve heard since childhood.

And like all road trips, there’s a destination. They’re headed some place. A trip is just that, leaving where we are and going someplace else. With all the coming and goings that the Hebrews have been through, they need God’s reassurance that everything’s going to be OK. That the waiting’s going to be worthwhile. The writer lists seven things about their eventual and eternal destination.

• Mount Zion. Freed from slavery in Egypt, they leave Mount Siani where God is feared and come to the promised land where God stays with them.

• City of the living God. Not just where God visits from time to time, but where he comes to live. Where he’s in charge. Where he’s the King of Kings.

• Heavenly Jerusalem. There’s someplace better than anything or anyplace here on Earth. It’s the eternal and perfect version of what’s here on Earth.

• Angels in joyful assembly. God’s messengers all come out and celebrate God’s final and permanent kingdom with people.

• Church of the firstborn. Called out from the world and saved by God to be his assembled gathering that stays together and loves each other.

• God, the Judge of all. Because no one is outside of God’s judgement, we can trust him to both repay for evil and reward for good.

• Spirits of the righteous made perfect. Believers in Jesus who died in the past and now are with God in heaven

I don’t know what’s on your bucket list. I don’t know what you’re looking forward to. What things you’d like to see. Things to accomplish. But no matter how great or grand your list, it can’t compare to anything on this list.

Maybe you want to go to Paris to see the great art museums. Or you want to go on safari in Africa to see and hear the great wild animals in person without bars. Or you want to walk the Great Wall of China. Or you want to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

No matter what we think of, our list can’t compare to this one. Why? Because our lists are things in this world. That’s all we know. All we have experienced. All we can dream of. But not this list – it’s literally out of this world. God’s goals and list are set in eternity where there’s no time limits. No cost overruns to worry about. Nothing’s outside his abilities to make. And while this life might be great, it’s nothing in comparison to what God has in store for us. His eternal future with us will be above and beyond anything and everything we can ask or imagine[1]. So, there’s no need to ask if we’re there yet. We’ll be there when we’re face to face with him.

Noodling Questions

• How do you feel when someone say over and over, “Are we there yet?”

• Why is knowing our destination an important part of living for God?

• Why will seeing God face-to-face fill us with wonder or fear?

[1] Ephesians 3:20