We pray regularly, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.” When we pray that, we are praying for heaven to come to earth.

Imagine with me what heaven coming to earth would be like. 

When heaven comes to earth, fear and anxiety take flight.  When heaven comes to earth, people are valued because God values them.  When heaven comes to earth children are cared for and protected; they receive lavish love because Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.” 

When heaven comes to earth, needs are met, forgiveness reigns, people love across differences, grace overcomes every divide, and money and power are used in ways that bring joy, meeting needs and always, always honoring God. 

When heaven comes to earth, no one drinks to forget, no one takes drugs to escape, and no one takes their own life.  When heaven comes to earth, no one beats up helpless people and posts it on the internet.  There’s no corona, no cancer, and no one saying, “How tragic.”  There is no despair, no cruelty, and no abuse of power.  There is no hunger, no sweatshops, no human trafficking, no injustice of any kind. 

When heaven comes to earth families are sustained and supported, people find welcome, abundance,  and the relentless practice of kindness. Generations meet at a common table, virtue is passed on, understood, appreciated, and celebrated.

When heaven comes to earth, people thrive.  Courage, hope, faith, love, and joy characterize each day.  No one suffers alone.  No one cries alone.  No one dies alone. 

When heaven comes to earth, faith is not lost, hope is not given up, and love does not, does not fail – because, by the grace of God the Father, through the work of the Holy Spirit, by the victory of Jesus – heaven has come to earth.