Mending and Tending

Recap

We've spent this series exploring what heaven will be like and why it matters. Today, in our final episode, I want to bring it all together with the most practical question: What do we do now?

We've established that heaven is coming down to earth. That you'll still be you. That your work matters. That we live in tension between restlessness and patience.

But how do we actually live as citizens of heaven while we're still on earth?

The Lord's Prayer

In Matthew 6, Matthew records Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray. Here’s how He starts his prayer:

Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV)

​​This, then, is how you should pray:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.”

Last week we had a tightrope to walk - balancing between restlessness and patience - this week we have a tension to hold: heaven, the new creation, is a future reality all followers of Jesus can look forward to and live towards, but it’s also a reality that’s partly breaking through in the here and now.

It won’t be here fully until Jesus returns, but we can experience parts of it here on Earth - as Jesus prays - your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

But more than just experiencing it as though it’s a random act where we just happen to be in the right place at the right time, we’re actually invited to participate in bringing heaven to Earth. 

Citizens of Heaven Living on Earth

In Philippians 3:20 (NIV), Paul tells us:

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Think about citizenship. Your citizenship shapes who you are: your identity, your values, your behaviour, where you can and can’t go and what you can and can’t do.

When you meet someone from another country, you catch a glimpse of that country through them. The way they speak, what they value, how they treat others - it often reflects where they're from.

And this should be true of us as citizens of heaven. When people encounter us, they should catch a glimpse of heaven, which will look like the new creation breaking into the present.

But there’s an obvious tension here too: we're citizens of heaven living on earth. We're home but not yet home. We're home in the sense that the new creation has begun in us - if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come - 2 Cor 5:17. But we're not yet home because the new creation isn't fully here in this world.

So how do we live in this tension?

Need the World Less, Love the World More

We started to look at it at the end of the last episode: we’re invited to need the world less and love the world more.

Needing the World Less

When our identity is secured in Christ and our future is guaranteed in the new creation, we are able to need this world less. We no longer need it to satisfy us or define us or make us happy.

Which is incredibly freeing. When earth fails us - and it will - we don't have to fall apart. When your boss is unfair, it’s disappointing or frustrating, but your identity isn't wrapped up in that job and your worth or security isn’t defined by their fairness. If a person hurts you, it’s painful, but your worth isn't determined by their opinion or actions, and you have the freedom to forgive and live without bitterness and the need to judge, justify or avenge yourself. If my plans fall through, like they so often do, it's incredibly frustrating, but my hope isn't dependent on everything going my way, so I can hold things loosely.

Here’s how the writer of Hebrews describes it, after reminding us of people who have lived by faith, and left their home countries to journey by faith following God:

Hebrews 11:13-16 (NIV)

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Their longing for a better country gave them endurance. They could let go of genuinely good things in this world - comfort, their family home, what they were used to - because they knew something better was coming.

God may not call you to give up your home like he did with Abraham and Sarah, but what if he calls you to give up some popularity for his sake? Or a dream? Or the way you like things to be?

If we need these things, we'll never give them up. But if we long for the new creation and have our sights set there, we won't need them. We'll be able to part with them for the better things to come.

Now I know that I’m making that sound very idealistic and easy, but I just want to remind you of the way that we’re invited to live. We definitely won’t get this perfect all the time, but when we do get it right we’ll experience the freedom of needing the world less.

Loving the World More

And as we need the world less, we’ll find we’re free to love it more. 

When we're secure in our future, we’re free to invest in the world without requiring it to satisfy us. Which means we can give generously to others without keeping track.

Andy Crouch gives us a helpful framework for this: We're called to mend what's broken and tend what's good.

So what's broken? And how could you mend it? That might mean forgiving someone who wronged you. Serving someone who's hurting. Standing up against injustice. Reconciling a relationship. Bringing healing where there's pain.

When we start to look for things to mend, we’ll start to spot them everywhere. Because we live in a broken world, that’s the reality of it. It might be as mundane as picking up litter in your street, or helping someone reach an item on the top shelf at the supermarket. You know when there are only a few left and they’re right at the back of the shelf? If you’ve been vertically blessed, be on the lookout. The more we look for things to mend, the more we’ll find.

And how about what's good? How could you tend it? That means doing your work excellently and not settling for half-hearted days. Creating beauty. Encouraging a friend who’s already doing good things. Building a culture within your family and friends that reflects God's goodness.

These aren't just nice things to do. They're bringing heaven to earth. So you’ll be participating in God's work of making all things new.

The Kingdom Breaking Into the Mundane

Can I encourage you to lift your head this week, ask God what he’s doing that you can partner with Him in, and then start bringing heaven down?

If you want your workplace to look more like heaven, then allow heaven to come through you. Ask God, "Why am I here?” And listen for the reason.

It might be seeing someone everyone else overlooks. Having a real conversation instead of small talk. Showing kindness when it's inconvenient - making them a cup of tea even when you don’t feel like they deserve it.

These aren't grand gestures, but they are small acts of love that mirror heaven's values, and that’s part of us each living as citizens of heaven.

What Will Last Forever?

I keep saying it, but pay attention to what will last forever: God's Word and people.

They’re the best things to invest your time and attention in. Earthly things - your car, house, degrees, awards - are great, but they won’t matter in heaven.

So when you're deciding how to spend your time, ask: "Will this matter in eternity?” And then make your decision in light of that.

That doesn't mean everything else is worthless or pointless - your work matters, rest matters, creativity matters but asking the question will help you to prioritise.

Living for the Line, Not Just the Dot

I’m sure you’ll have heard the analogy of the line and the dot. Imagine a timeline, spanning from now into eternity, the line literally never ends, it’s eternal. Our life on earth is a teeny tiny dot right at the start of that line. It wouldn’t even be slightly visible. 

James in his letter to the church puts it like this:

James 4:14 (NIV)

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

That can seem discouraging, it depends on your perspective. 

Our lives are just a mist. That includes the highs and the lows. They’re all temporary. And so instead we’re invited to take our eyes off the mist, off the teeny tiny dot, and focus on the line. The eternal. 

If we're wise, we'll live for the line, not just the dot.

Who's Bringing Heaven to Earth?

So who does the Bible say is actually living this way? Who's living for the line, not just the dot?

Revelation 21:6-7

He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children." 

So it’s the thirsty. Not the good or the moral or the ones trying do the right things, but the one who is thirsty for God. The one who isn’t satisfied with the way things are, who keeps praying “your kingdom come, your will be done” and then gets up and goes and partners with God in carrying out his will.

So as we bring this series to a close, what are you waiting for? 

This Week's Challenge

This week, why not choose one way to bring heaven down?

Maybe mend something broken: Forgive someone. Reconcile a relationship. Serve someone who's hurting. Stand up against an injustice.

Or maybe tend something that’s good: Do your work with an unusual excellence. Create something beautiful. Encourage someone. Make your home or neighbourhood or workplace even better in some small way.

Whatever you choose, do it consciously and intentionally. And as you do, pray: "Your kingdom come, your will be done here and now through me."

Closing

And there we go, we’ve reached the end of our six-parter on heaven. I hope it’s challenged your thinking and changed how you live today.

Remember: Heaven will not disappoint you. It's more real and more wonderful than anything you can imagine. It's coming down to earth and earth will be made new. You'll still be you, just perfected. Your work matters eternally. You're called to live in restless patience. And you're invited to bring heaven down now. And the best part of it is that we will live with Jesus, fully in the presence of God.

I’ll leave you with a quote from C S Lewis you’ve already heard: "If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next."

Prayer

Let's pray.

Lord, thank you for the hope of heaven. Thank you that you're making all things new and that we get to participate. Help us to need this world less so we can love it more. We can't wait to come home fully, but until then, use us here. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus' name, amen.