For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ~~ I Corinthians 15:22 RSV
Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell are spoken of as The Four Last Things. They tend to be interpreted chronologically, since life is more easily expressed in notions of time.
Rev. Robert Farrar Capon, though, imagines these Last Things as being similar to the layers of an onion. There will be tears as we peel away the layers.
The tears that surround Death and Judgment are obvious: The former tells us we are mortal; the latter reminds us that our lives will be seen in all their goodness and badness. And Hell makes us weep as it reminds us of separation and isolation.
But crying over Heaven?! Well, who hasn’t cried for joy? At the center of the onion, and of all our life, is the heart of all Creation, the Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, who makes us weep for joy. Only in Christ will all be made eternally alive, every sin be forgiven, and every tear finally wiped away.
Doesn’t it make your eyes water?!!
PRAYER: O loving and forgiving God, may our tears flow freely in this world, but disappear completely in your New Creation. May we trust that all the Saints are rejoicing and are at perfect peace with eyes clear and full of praise and wonder!
Pastor Barry