Recently some of our worship leaders (mostly in the high school age group) started playing a song titled How He Loves by John Mark McMillan. Oh, how the controversy swept over. I started playing it and ended up deciding it didn't fit into my definition of worship and, thus, should not be played during a worship set. But the reasons behind that have little to do with this topic. My recent reading in a book called Simply Christian by N.T. Wright provoked the thought of the most controversial line: "Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss."
Now, obviously this image is too much for some people right off the bat. However, I'm not entirely sure I actually agree with the theology. While I love the imagery of heaven meeting earth, I think it's far too incomplete a picture (not that our worship songs are ever able to give a complete picture of anything in so few words, but I think this phrase falls far short of describing heaven and earth and their relationship).
In N.T. Wright's book, he writes about how heaven "overlaps and interlocks" earth. Now, to me, anyway, this brings a lot of different possibilities. The song doesn't actually give much context, but what does "meeting" earth actually mean. In the context of the conferences and such where this song is used commonly, one could extrapolate that it means a powerful manifestation of the Holy Spirit. But does overlapping and interlocking mean that is the only or even most often way heaven meets earth? Perhaps heaven was there all along waiting for us to search for it. But that brings up another question: then are there certain "portals" (for lack of a better word) where heaven meets earth that are there for a time and then sort of disappear similar to openings to Narnia (such as the Wardrobe in the first book). Perhaps heaven kind of creeps up in an inconspicuous type of way.
I like to refer to something Mike Pilavachi, pastor of Soul Survivor in the UK, said when he visited my church worship leaders' song writers' meeting. He said the Holy Spirit exists in three ways: the omnipresent Spirit, the Indwelling Spirit, and the manifesting Spirit. Perhaps these three ways correlate with heaven meeting earth (how could they not?).
Perhaps heaven is always touching earth (not hard to believe, but hard to support). Perhaps a touch of heaven exists in every believer (the indwelling spirit). And perhaps there is the "heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss" manifestation of heaven meeting earth.
And perhaps it is all three.
What do you think?
2 comments:
It's great to hear you wrestling with what it actually means for heaven & earth to overlap and interlock. It's very easy to go too far in the direction of Theism (God is distanced from creation) or Pantheism (God is everything and everything is God).
Somehow this idea of Creational Monotheism (or Option #3 as N. T. Wright refers to it) helps us to understand that the kingdom is on the one hand separate from the earth but that at the same time God is very present and active.
Keep wrestling.
I like the insight on heaven and earth interlocking and the possible ways those overlaps happen also. When I first heard that song sung where I worship (The Gathering in Kansas City) I was caught off guard by the line too. Wasn't sure what to think. But the more I thought about it, I think it's refreshing imagery. Not so stoic as many worship songs are (not that it's bad). The "sloppy wet kiss" line gives a brief identifiable comparison to a very deep and dissertation-worthy topic.
Perhaps it's a little much to expect one song to thoroughly explain the interworkings of how heaven and earth overlap and the deeper parts of how the spirit is manifested in us and around us :)
Very deep insights though, I like that you're opening up your mind to the endless possibilities of how God (and His spirit) can (and does) interact with us.
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