“Today you will be with me in paradise”

March 17, 2008
Monday

Luke 23:39-43

When Jesus is talking with the thief hanging beside him about paradise, I often think of heaven, of God’s kingdom where all are invited to live out eternity. However, on this day, I would invite is to remember the words of Jesus when he says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2) and also “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Why? Because these words of Jesus remind us that the kingdom is not just something that we die into but also something we can live in each and every day of our lives, on earth and in heaven! As I reflect over our journey to Turkey, I would say that being able to spend three months with my best friend and love of my life was paradise. Some of the various sites that we saw as well as the foods that we ate, could very well be found in paradise. Seventeen days of blue sky and temperatures that were comfortable could be easily considered paradise. The opportunity to read from the Bible in sacred spots representing communities or events, was paradise.
As we enter Holy Week, and reflect of some of the last words of Jesus, I challenge us to not just look back and remember, or look forward and anticipate, but to also look at the present, seeking, seeing, and living in the paradise that God created, and is creating. For today we are with Jesus in paradise, God’s kingdom on earth!