Dual Citizenship on Earth and in Heaven (repreach of Imitate Christ 2016)

Lent 2 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Dual Citizenship On Earth and in Heaven Year C “Meaning” Lent Two Prelude Welcome and Announcements Over the Threshold Leader: Mystic, author, and Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast said this: “It is through wholehearted living that meaning flows into our lives… You see the sandpiper and something in you says a wholehearted yes, or you hear the rain and your whole being says yes to it. It’s a special kind of yes; it’s an unconditional yes.” Sing Verse 1 of Open My Eyes That I May See UMH 454 We continue our journey through Lent taking on a special lens, that of a deep and profound sense of awe. This is a spiritual journey in the tradition of ancient biblical poets, of mystics from yesteryear or today. In our scientific day, researchers are confirming what these poets and mystics knew all along–awe is essential for a life of wellbeing. In a time when we are flooded with a culture of competing soundbites, we are slowing down and spending time on a journey that leads to a precious stream of the deeper meanings of ordinary life. Sing Verse 2 of Open My Eyes That I May See. UMH 454 The good news is that we humans are “meaning-mongers.” Our brains are wired to interpret the ordinary stuff of life in metaphorical ways so that we can make some sense of it all. We long for meaningful lives in which we are more sure about the direction of our lives and about what we are to bring to this world. We yearn for experiences that leave us feeling more fulfilled. When we are “on the lookout” for meaning in our lives, we live at a deeper level, and mere existence turns into purpose. Let us rise in body and/or spirit and pray: Awe-inspiring God, we come together this day because we need to be reminded to see through the lens of deeper meaning. Too often, we write off the ordinary days of our lives as a drone of time passing through the mass of media messages about what life is supposed to be about. Open us to perceive anew. Inspire us to receive our surroundings with awe. Forgive us when we are distracted by the droll of the scroll rather than lifting our senses to that which is right in front of us. Be with us on this journey as we seek again to marvel at your works. Sing Verse 3 of Open My Eyes that I May See UMH 454 [fade into silence… after a time, the leader speaks softly into the silence] Know that your life is inherently meaningful because of the One who gave you life. God forgives us. Jesus embraces us. The Spirit enlivens us. We are whole. With awe, we accept this belovedness. And all God’s people say, “Amen.” Hymn Fairest Lord Jesus. UMH 189 In Awe of Young People and Others Children’s sermon…….. Props: A flower Lesson: Good morning. Before you show the flower you might ask if anyone knows what is means to worry. I have something today that is very pretty. Would you like to see it? What do you think it might be? (Responses) Well, let’s see. (Hold flower up for everyone to see) Do you like it? It’s pretty, isn’t it. This kind of flower is called (substitute name of flower). I want to talk a little bit about this flower. How do you suppose that it became a flower? What happened before this could be a flower? (A seed was planted) Yes, a seed was planted. Then what happened? Did the seed have to work real hard every day? Did the flower have to worry about getting enough to eat or drink? Did it become pretty because it took care of itself? (Responses) No! Of course not! Who took care of this flower and made it beautiful? (response) Yes, God did. Application: One time in the Bible Jesus reminded the people that God would take care of them even more than God takes care of the flowers. And so the Apostle Paul said this, “Do not worry about anything, but by prayer let your requests be known to God.” In other words, if God takes care of the flowers, and makes them beautiful without them really doing any work, then he will care for you even more. So there’s no need to worry about life, because God will hear us when we pray and will see to our needs. So the next time you see a flower, remember to say a prayer and know that God will take care of you. Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate God’s provision for those he loves. Let us Pray: Thank you God for taking care of us, and for letting us know that we do not need to worry about anything. In Jesus’ name. Amen. by Brett Blair Prayer for Transformation and New Life Loving Protector, in times of chaos, we can startled by sudden declarations, distracted by claims of solutions to problems. Forgive us, God, for our wandering from you. Forgive us, when our own fears draw other people’s attention away from you. Help us to act, not from anxiety, but from faith in your certain presence. Help us to slow down and recognize you within and around us. Amen. Words of Grace No matter how far from God our resistance takes us, God wishes to draw us back, as deliberately as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. Receive God’s embrace and this good news: you are forgiven. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Ruth Garwood) The Peace The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. I invite you to share the peace of Christ with those around you, [remembering to greet those online with a wave to the camera]. Contemporary Reading Reader: Our first reading is a contemporary one–an excerpt from Brian McLaren in his book Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart: “…the neocortex of the brain…makes language possible and gives meaning to the word ‘meaning.' It enables me to talk to myself and observe myself. It integrates current awareness with memory of past experiences and with the ability to imagine future scenarios. It organizes my experience in stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. It helps me think critically, creatively, and independently. Without the meaning committee [in my brain], there would be no Bach or the Beatles, no Galileo or Einstein, nor Moses or Mary or Jesus or the Buddha or Mohammed. It is the most recently evolved part of me, and frankly, it still has a lot of bugs and glitches that haven’t been worked out yet.” Ancient Reading Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 In Awe of Music [Anthem/Band Song] In Awe of the Word [Sermon] Dual Citizenship in Heaven and On Earth So, let me ask you, when you were a child, who was it that you would say – I want to be just like him or her. I have had a lot of mentors in my life, but the person I strive to be – is my grandmother. And the thing that I most admired about her was what I called her cool abiding. Now my mother, had a temper and would tell you what she thought of you at the drop of a hat. But my grandmother would just look at you. She never got mad, never corrected me, She would just get real quiet and not say anything. She would let me figure it out for myself. there are lessons that I am learning about today, that I look back and realize that my grandmother taught me in her silence. I can only imagine what she was thinking in her head – but she kept her cool and never said anything. The thing I want most in life is her patience to let others learn from their own lives and to correct themselves. What about you? Who in your life do you want to imitate? I could never be as bold as Paul in Philippians and tell you to imitate me. Some say that he is encouraging his congregation to compete with one another in imitating him. I would never try to be an example. Because I don’t know for sure what stands out the most – the human part of me or the divine part. They don’t teach cursive writing anymore, but remember when the teacher would write something on the board and tell you to write just like her. The first line was an imitation of what she wrote. The second line was an imitation of an imitation and the third line was an imitation of the second line. And by the end of the page you were imitating so many mistakes that you could not tell what the words were really were supposed to look like. I would not tell anyone to imitate me, because I would be afraid that you would be imitating my mistake, my humanness. But some have said that instead of encouraging people to compete in imitate him, to work together in imitating Christ. That is what it is all about – imitating Christ. All of us being able to say – when I am fully mature in spirit – I want to be just like Jesus. I want people to know who Jesus is – Just by looking at my life. The book of Philippians is known as the book of joy. It is a relatively short letter that Paul wrote to the people of Philippi to encourage them to find their joy in serving and following Christ. In our scripture for today, in a world where there were a lot of bad role models, people who were leading with the wrong intentions, Paul encourages Christians to follow his example. This was one of his favorite places to teach. He really loved these people. Philippi would have been a city of people who lived in Macedonia, yet they were proud to be Roman citizens. It would have been a city of military families, who took their citizenship very seriously. Paul wanted to tell them that it was important to fulfill their citizenship, but to also be reminded that their was another citizenship to fulfill. Paul, himself was a Roman citizen, so he took his civc duty very seriously. Even though he travelled all over the world – he never forgot his duties as a citizen. As a matter of fact, Paul believed that there were only 2 types of people in the world. And for Paul those two types were not democrat and republican. He believed that there were citizens of this world and there were citizens of heaven. Those who were imitators of Christ were citizens of this world. It is what separated the two that might surprise you. It was not so much those in the church and those outside of the church. And it was not those who believed in this world and those who looked forward to the next. Paul’s biggest message to citizens of heaven, is that we all have duel citizenship. We are a part of this world and we are a part of heaven. There are some who believe that you are to go to church and pray, but it is not necessary to vote. And there are some who believe that if you vote you don’t have to pray. But citizens of heaven have to do both – vote and pray. We are a part of both worlds. Paul says that there are two types of citizens. There are those who imitate Christ and there are enemies of the cross. Both types go to church. Both types claim to be Christians. It is just that one type of citizens is caught up in the world and the world circumstances What makes us imitators of Christ? Hope in the Resurrection. Hope in what Christ can do for the world. A willingness to participate in making the world a better place, but a recognition that when Christ comes he will make everything new. Those who are imitators of Christ know what it mean to wait upon the Lord. They trust that God will make any scene better. They are obedient to the Word of God. Paul says that enemies of the cross worship their bellies and their shame. They are slaves to their own thoughts and desires. Here is how St. Paul describes citizens of the world. FIRST OF ALL, HE SAYS THEIR DESTINY IS DESTRUCTION. Recent wire reports carried the story of a motorist who stole $9 worth of gasoline and died in a fiery wreck while making his getaway. The speeding car exploded when it hit a tree. Police said the unidentified motorist had filled up at a gas station without paying. Station manager Gary Adams, 35, drove after him, honking, waving his arms and yelling as the cars raced through a residential area. After the crash, the driver struggled to pull himself out a window of the burning car. The station manager tried to rescue him. "He tried to pull him out. It got too hot. He gave up," said Corporal John McLain. "He died a very painful death for $9 of gas," said Vince Sullivan, a witness who tried to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher. How very, very sad. Rarely when we do wrong do we see what the end result can be. Life is different for those who are able to wait upon the Lord and do something different. Paul encourages those with dual citizenship in heaven and earth to stand firm – to put all of our hope, trust, desire into the hands of God. The Hebrew word for waiting on the Lord is qavar. That is the difference between citizens of heaven and citizens of the world. Have you noticed that the world encourages us to have everything right now, no waiting. When we are hungry – we want to go to a restaurant and eat now. When young people are in a relationship they want everything to work out now. When we are in a bind, we want to answer right now. Paul says it, that enemies of the cross are slaves to their belly and their shame. And yet imitators of Christ are able to wait on the Lord because their hope is in the Lord. Hope in the Lord! Be strong! Let your heart take courage! Hope in the Lord. When Paul was writing to the Philippians, he had this concept of qavar – waiting on the Lord in mind. Paul loved the Philippians congregation. And when they wrote to him, he wanted to do everything he could to encourage them. He encouraged them to live in Jesus Christ. As he continues to talk to the people that he calls his crown he gives them three great commands of life in the Lord – Stand firm in the Lord, agree in the Lord and to rejoice in the Lord always. There are two kinds of people in this world – There are citizens of this world and citizens of heaven. There are those who imitate Christ and live in Jesus and there are enemies of the cross? Which one are you? D. L. Moody told a story about two men who, under the influence of liquor, found their way to the dock where their boat was tied. The two men wanted to return home, so they got in the boat and began to row. Though they rowed hard all night, they did not reach the other side of the bay. When the gray dawn of the morning broke, they were in exactly the same spot from which they started. They had neglected to loosen the mooring-line and raise the anchor! Mr. Moody used this story as an analogy of the way in which many people are thwarted in their striving for heaven because they are tied to this world. "Cut the cord! Cut the cord!" he would admonish. "Set yourself free from the clogging weight of earthly things, and you will be headed toward heaven." (5) On earth we spend a lot of time taking care of our bodies. We try to eat right and to exercise. We even seek out teachers and role models who are able to teach us how to achieve the perfect body. Aerobics is exercise to get out heart running. Aerobics is good for our physical body. But this Lenten season we have been encouraged to also practice awe-robics. Exercises to keep our spirit engaged. Finding the awe in life is our way of seeking God while living here on Earth. We are all ordinary people – in search of an encounter with an extraordinary God. It is those encounters with God above that give our lives meaning. It is those encounters that remind us that even while here on earth – our home will one day be in heaven with God. But in the meantime – we live in hope. Let us pray……. Hymn In The Cross of Christ I Glory UMH 295 Approaching an Awesome God [Prayers] Holy and Living God, we approach this time of prayer, yearning for meaning for our lives. With all our senses, we open to you. Give us lenses of awe with which to perceive and love others as you perceive and love us. We imagine in our mind’s eye now the people in our lives, the people of our communities, and the people of our world. Each of them is beloved by you, and this alone creates awe in us. We especially lift up those who need our prayers in this moment… [continue with prayers of thanksgiving and care for people]. For all these people and those we name in our hearts, Hear our prayer, Awesome God. Give us lenses of awe with which to perceive and love your creation as you perceive and love it. Each butterfly, each shell, each sunset reminds us that symbols of the meaning of life are everywhere. You are making all things new all around us. Help us to care for the nature around us. This week, we name… [continue with prayers about specific entities of nature in your area]. For all these places, creatures, and lifeforms, and those we name in our hearts, Hear our prayer, Awesome God. Give us lenses of awe with which to perceive and love life as you perceive and love the life you have given us. Open us to a more meaningful existence. Help us to know that our existence itself already has meaning and we are not required to earn it or deserve it, simply open to it. Slow us down in this season of Lent so that we might savor anew the gift of life. We pause in this silence, setting intentions of awe for the week ahead. [pause in silence] For all these intentions, Hear our prayer, Awesome God. Let us pray the prayer Jesus taught us… Lord’s Prayer Responding with Awe (Stewardship Moment) Paul, writing to the Christians in the church at Philippi, invites them to follow his example as they decide how to live their lives. Paul encourages us, as we read these words, to recognize no matter where we were born, our true citizenship is in heaven. We’re beloved children of the Most High. Each of us, and all of us, are encouraged to stand firm in the Lord. Not many of us would be willing to be like Paul, traveling place to place to preach and teach. But all of us can find ways to share our identity as Christians through the ways we use our resources: time, talent, treasure. Consider how you might share time this week, using the model of Paul. Will you offer time to teach Sunday School, or lead in Vacation Bible School? Imagine ways you can offer your talent: come in to repair something you’ve noticed is broken, or clean something you see needs attention. Offer child-care to a worn-out young parent in your neighborhood. Cook a meal for someone just coming home from the hospital. Draw a picture for the bulletin or finish crocheting a blanket you then donate to your local shelter for folks who are unhoused. And what treasure will you offer? Weekly giving to this congregation? Food for the food pantry? Support for Week of Compassion in response to recent tornados or fires? Take up the example of Paul, become an active steward with your time, talent and treasure as you plant your feet firmly in the Way of Jesus. Offering/Offertory [as is your custom] Doxology [Tune: Old 100th] Praise God, Creator of us all, Praise Christ, by whom we hear our call, Praise Spirit, that which sets us free, Our awe is yours, the One-in-Three. Offertory Prayer Loving God, our shelter and hope, as we walk through this holy season, we come to you with hearts open to your grace. In our giving, may we reflect the love that sustains us, and may we lift one another up in times of need and vulnerability. Use these offerings to bring comfort to the weary and hope to the brokenhearted, just as you draw near to us in our struggles. Strengthen us to be a source of light and love in this world, reflecting your compassion in all we do. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen. (Luke 13:31-35) (United Methodist Discipleship Ministries) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Benedictions are blessings. And blessings are all around us. So for this season, instead of bowing your head as I offer a Benediction blessing, I invite you to open your palms in a position of receiving, and hold your head high, imagining a radiant stream of light from above shining upon you and everything else around you. And this week when you need to be reminded of that the world is rife with meaning, take this stance again. Open your palms to receive, look around to perceive, and notice one small thing that can light up your heart for a moment. And now may you go forth remembering Brother Steindl-Rast’s words: “It is through wholehearted living that meaning flows into our lives.” Be a purveyor of awe this week. Live wholeheartedly and expectantly each day, keeping watch for the deeper meaning surrounding you. Say an unconditional “yes” to the simplest of moments as you invite awe to live and breathe new life in you. Be a “purveyor of awe,” curating a life of spiritual depth that inspires others to join you on the journey. May the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of Awe, the Holy One-in-Three, be with you now and throughout these days, Amen. Community Time (Joys and Concerns) Benediction Go, now, in the blessing of God who conceals you in the tent of God’s love, that you may invite others to come home to God who is Love. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2024. Postlude Worship Notes Contemporary reading excerpted from the following source: McLaren, B. D. (2024). Life after doom: Wisdom and courage for a world falling apart. St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Additional Illustrations Let me tell you about a modern woman who found this power to stand fast in the Lord. Everyone called her, Ms. Tilly. She’s a little Methodist woman from Atlanta, Georgia, who never weighed more than 100 pounds, and always looked about eight years younger than God. She joined forces with a group of 40,000 women in the 1930s and 40s, in what was called The Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching. Later, she was active in advocating the desegregation of schools and got a lot of obscene telephone calls – calling her everything but the gentle woman that she was. She did not let these calls deter her - no one could intimidate her. She knew that racism was evil, and she knew that as a white woman she was through with it, and she wanted her town and her state and her nation and the world to be rid of it, too. But she would not stoop to the tactics of her intimidators. She had an engineer hook up a recording machine to the telephone, and when persons called her late at night to spew out their venom, instead of getting an answer of hatred, they heard a baritone soloist singing the Lord’s prayer. What imagination. But also, what confidence in the Lord. What courage and undaunted commitment. The two come together in Ms. Tilly – as they come together in all Christians who are in the kingdom now, living in expectation and standing fast in the Lord. Let me call on Reinhold Niebhur again to tie it altogether for our conclusion. “Nothing worth doing is ever completed in our lifetime,” Niebhur said, “therefore, we must be saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful makes sense in any context of history; therefore, we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, no matter how virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we must be saved by love.” Lent is a period when the darkness of winter gives way, day-by-day, to the light of spring. We are on a trip from darkness to light. At the end of the journey is Jesus, the light that dispels the darkness of our world. As our journey continues, therefore, let us keep our priorities straight, keep our focus on Jesus, and through these stand firm in the Lord. Our reward in heaven will be great. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons for Sundays in Lent and Easter: Dying and Rising in the Lord, by Richard Gribble I complimented a woman in Rustin, Louisiana, on her jewelry. She smiled and said, "Thank you. I collect gems." I agreed and said, "It shows." "No," she insisted. "I don't collect those gems. I collect real 'gems' I have a gem of a husband, a gem of a daughter, a gem of a friend, a gem of a pastor. Those are the real 'gems' I invest in." How is your gem collection doing? Who are the gems in your “crown of joy?" ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Collected Works, by Leonard Sweet Life's real "crown of joy" is a life rich and deep in personal relationships. III. Plan For Opposition As you think about tomorrow, there are two problems you are going to have to always face. Number one: You're going to have to face foes. Nobody ever encountered more opposition than Moses, Jesus, and Paul—three of the most visionary goal-oriented men in the Bible. Do the following names ring a bell with you: Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, Geuel? They probably don't, but those were the first names of the spies that were sent out with Joshua and Caleb to investigate the land. They were the ones who brought back a minority report that said: "the land could not be taken." They were the ones wearing "contract" lenses. They minimized God and maximized giants. When they looked through their "contract" lenses their god was too weak, they were too small, the task was too difficult, and the giants were too big. I want to warn you of something. This world is full of dream killers. It is full of people who will tell you that you can't reach your goals; that you shouldn't dream bigger dreams; that you should not have bigger visions; shouldn't try to climb more mountains. There are always going to be people around you who will cloud your vision, who try to destroy your determination, because they are always looking at the future in a rearview mirror. A great man once said, "A blind man's world is bounded by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man's world by the limits of his knowledge; a great man's world by the limits of his vision." Mark it down—you're going to have foes when you try to reach goals and dream dreams. The year was 1846. Abraham Lincoln was running for a seat in the U.S. Congress. His opponent was a Methodist Circuit Rider by the name of Peter Cartwright. One night, Lincoln went to hear Cartwright preach. As the fiery Cartwright came to the conclusion of his sermon he said to the congregation, “Everybody here who wants to go to heaven, stand up.” The whole crowd stood up except Lincoln. Cartwright, who considered Lincoln an infidel said, “I observe that all present want to go to heaven except for Mr. Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln, may I ask where you are going?” Mr. Lincoln rose to his feet and said, “Brother Cartwright, I intend to go to Congress.” That year he did. What does it mean for us to make heaven our home? How can we discover a little bit of heaven here and now? After a rousing week of resounding patriotism, I would like to talk with you about living as resident aliens on planet Earth. As Christians, we need to be reminded from time to time that we are in the world, but not of the world. While most of us want to go to heaven when we die, I don’t find many of us in a hurry to get there. Turn with me to Paul’s joyful letter to the Philippians. Let’s see what he has to say about living on Earth in the light of eternity. (3:17-21) V 20 And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. What if heaven were not so much a place as a person? What if heaven were not somewhere to get to, but someone to come to? What if it were not a land far away, but an experience here today? Not so much about mansions, but more about meaning? What if heaven can’t wait? What if I need it now? One hundred years ago, optimistic Christians set out to build God’s kingdom on earth. They announced the dawning of the Christian Century. They believed in 100 years the world could be Christianized and the Kingdom of God would come on earth as it is in heaven. Here, at the dawn of the 21st century, the world is more materialistic, hedonistic, and secularistic than it was then. The Church, once a pivotal player in world affairs, is now in a mode of self-survival. What happened? I suggest a simple answer. We do not build the kingdom of God, we receive the Kingdom of God. It is not in our power and might to make the Kingdom of God come on earth as it is in heaven. Children’s sermon…….. Props: A flower Lesson: Good morning. Before you show the flower you might ask if anyone knows what is means to worry. I have something today that is very pretty. Would you like to see it? What do you think it might be? (Responses) Well, let’s see. (Hold flower up for everyone to see) Do you like it? It’s pretty, isn’t it. This kind of flower is called (substitute name of flower). I want to talk a little bit about this flower. How do you suppose that it became a flower? What happened before this could be a flower? (A seed was planted) Yes, a seed was planted. Then what happened? Did the seed have to work real hard every day? Did the flower have to worry about getting enough to eat or drink? Did it become pretty because it took care of itself? (Responses) No! Of course not! Who took care of this flower and made it beautiful? (response) Yes, God did. Application: One time in the Bible Jesus reminded the people that God would take care of them even more than God takes care of the flowers. And so the Apostle Paul said this, “Do not worry about anything, but by prayer let your requests be known to God.” In other words, if God takes care of the flowers, and makes them beautiful without them really doing any work, then he will care for you even more. So there’s no need to worry about life, because God will hear us when we pray and will see to our needs. So the next time you see a flower, remember to say a prayer and know that God will take care of you. Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate God’s provision for those he loves. Let us Pray: Thank you God for taking care of us, and for letting us know that we do not need to worry about anything. In Jesus’ name. Amen. by Brett Blair Other illustrations……. How Can I Be Sure? In the Russian novel, The Brothers Karamazov, a woman has come to talk with a holy man about her problems with faith. "What if I've been believing all my life, and when I come to die there is nothing but burdocks growing over my grave? . . . How can I prove it? How can I convince myself?" The holy man's answer is: "By the experience of active love. Insofar as you advance in active love, you will grow surer of the reality of God and of the immortality of the soul." Robert C. Shannon, editor, 1000 Windows: A Speaker’s Sourcebook of Illustrations, Standard Publishing Company, 1984. It is somewhat like the story of a very wealthy young man who had all that a person could want ” materially. However, he was born with a deformity which left him with a very ugly face. Because of this one flaw he would stay in his house and walk around in his garden, which was closed in by a high wall. However, in the evening he would leave his walled-in garden and walk down by the seashore. One night he heard beautiful music. He hid himself in the shadows, and there he saw a young girl playing a violin. Each night he would leave his house, walk down to the seashore and listen to the young lady play the beautiful music. However, because of his ugliness he would hide in the shadows, hoping not to be seen. Later, the young man told his servant, "Take this money and give it to the lady with the violin, in order that she may go to the best school of music in Europe and master the beautiful music." After years of study, she returned home and was taken to the house of the man who paid for her education. He was standing in his garden. The gate was opened for her and she came up behind him, threw her arms around his waist and cried, "I love you! I love you!" He said, "No, it's impossible for you to love me." All the more she cried, "I love you." The young man turned around and said, "How can you love me when you see much ugliness in my face?" She replied, "You see, sir, I'm blind." So it is with those of us who are citizens of heaven. We are not perfect people, but because of what Christ has done in our behalf, God, too, is blind to the ugliness of our sin. (4) Perhaps that is Christ's word to some of us this morning. Cut the cord! Get rid of any encumbrance that might slow your progress toward heaven.