Dear Church Family,
Almost 50 years ago my eighth-grade brain heard for the first time John Lennon’s “Imagine” for the first time. The song would be Lennon’s best-selling single and captured the hearts of many. Reviewers wrote of how captivating its “serene melody and pillowy chord progression” resulted in it becoming “a hymn” for the turbulent times of the Vietnam Era. I just found out it has been played at every Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop since 2005. So it remains a song that reflects many hearts today.
After “Imagine” was played at a school event, a teacher used it for a class discussion. By the end of those 40 minutes I was at odds with many of my classmates. As we began someone proposed that we take a vote that the opening concepts “there’s no heaven…no hell below” were good to believe (not just imagine) and it passed by a wide margin. The discussion came after the vote. All the cool people thought the song deserved all the praise it got and contained words to live by.
At last a nerdy guy with thick glasses had his turn. He knew one day he would be a pastor (maybe even your pastor). He had to speak up about the shear absurdity of the lyrics, even though a large majority stood hand-in-hand with “no religion too.” Finally, I raised my hand. With more than a little fear I told them the song resembled a fairy tale. We had been taught that a good speech begins with a statement that grabs people’s attention.
Needless to say I had everyone’s ear (as well as many glaring eyes). Even then I had to the authority of Scripture, so I said we can dream all we want, but the truth of the Bible will remain true. I gained some steam and was still a Baptist so I proclaimed one day each of us would die. After that we would face God’s judgment and would spend eternity in heaven or hell. I could continue the story, but to jump to the end, it was a topic of conversation out of class for a couple of weeks. I still wonder what the spiritual state of my classmates is today.
I give you that story to call you to rejoice that “Imagine” is not true. We know there is a heaven and that by faith in the saving work of Jesus we will spend life everlasting with Him in heaven. We live life with hope in the promises of God. We live with purpose knowing that in all we do we are to glorify God and in relationship with Him. We live with confidence that God will never leave us or forsake us. In 2 Corinthians 5:1 Paul encourages them as they groan and long for something better than what is on earth, “we have a building from God, an eternal house is heaven, not built by human hands.” Now these things are worth imaging!
Contrast “Imagine” with words sung this past Lord’s Day in ‘Christ our Hope in Life and Death:’
Unto the grave, what shall we sing? “Christ, he lives; Christ, he lives!”
And what reward will heaven bring? Everlasting life with him.
There we will rise to meet the Lord, then sin and death will be destroyed,
And we will feast in endless joy, when Christ is ours forevermore.
Living by grace to His glory,
Pastor Gillikin