Relationships on the New Earth
by Lisa Coleman
This week we will be discussing an aspect of Heaven that we all wonder about at some point and in most cases, have very tender feelings over. Who will we know (besides Jesus of course!) in Heaven? The Churchy answer is ‘it won’t matter because…” but in reality, we have great love for those we have traveled this hard journey with down here. Do we just start all over when we get there?
Moving into a new city, state, or country can be both exciting and stress-inducing. What is it like? Will we have friends or even run into old acquaintances, thus renewing the friendship? Will we ever have neighbors that we can gather with, or will family still be part of our lives now that we’ve moved?
New places have different ways of doing things. Differences in connections and relationships. Our questions and fears grow as we get closer to our move.
A story is told that a woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and asked him to come to her house to discuss some of her final wishes.
She told him which songs she wanted to be sung at her funeral service, what Scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. She requested to be buried with her favorite Bible.
As the pastor prepared to leave, the woman suddenly remembered something else. “There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.
“What’s that?” said the pastor.
“This is important,” the woman said. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”
The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say.
The woman explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part of the meal because I knew something better was coming like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.
“So, when people see me in that casket with a fork in my hand and they ask, ‘What’s with the fork?’ I want you to tell them: ‘Keep your fork. The best is yet to come!’
And it’s true! The best is yet to come, but could we have just a little more detail please? Join us this Sunday as we investigate relationships in Heaven. Family, spouses, friends – all gifts of relationship we’ve been granted on present earth – what happens to them in Heaven?
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Please feel free to click one of the links below to download Bible study materials from this session for your personal use:
To assist with your independent study, you can find the Zoom audio/video recording of this session on our YouTube Channel by clicking here.
More information about this Bible study series can be found at HEAVEN: Peace for Today, Hope for Tomorrow. You can also follow this link to find materials for several additional Bible Studies that are free to download for your personal use.
May God bless you and your study, as you seek to know Him better through the study of His Word.
Yours in Christ,
Eric
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