What if at your next doctor’s appointment the conversation went something like this.

Doctor: “How’s your diet? Getting enough exercise? Is that mole new? Where are you on the road to heaven?”

Patient: “Excuse me, what? Did you ask about my son Devon?”

Doctor: “I inquired about your whereabouts on the road leading to heaven.”

Patient: “Explain please. I just came in here with a little heartburn.”

Doctor: “Your heart, huh? Why your heart would you say?”

Patient: “I was hoping you might have the answer and a quick prescription. Then I’ll be on my way.”

Doctor: “Was the pain worse when I asked about the road to heaven?”

Patient: “Well, now that you mention it again, yes.”

Doctor: “So where are you, would you venture to guess, on the road towards heaven?”

Patient: “Gees Doc, I dunno know. I’m a busy guy. I work a lot of hours. That church stuff isn’t really for me.”

Doctor: “I see. Not interested in heaven as your eternal destination?” (scribbles some notes in your chart)

Patient: “I didn’t say that exactly. I just have a lot going on. I figure I’ll worry about that when I am older.” (chuckles nervously)

Doctor: “How much older?”

Patient: “What are you not saying Doctor? How much time do I have left? Is it over for me?”

Doctor: “You misunderstand.”

Patient: “Seriously Doc. Just tell me straight out. Am I dying?”

Doctor: “Well, (long pause), we are all going to die. My query, however, was about your life after that. Where are you in your journey to life everlasting?”

Patient: “Wait. What? Is this one of those “punked” shows? Where is the hidden camera?” (looking around anxiously)

Doctor: “Sir, your time is up.” (stands up to leave)

Patient: “Just like that, it’s over? I didn’t know I was gonna go so fast.” “Maybe I should have thought more about the whole ever after stuff.” (head hangs low) “Guess my mama wasn’t so crazy after all making us go to church and pray back then.”

Doctor: “Sir, you misunderstand. I have other patients to see. Our time is up for today.”

Patient: “Oh, I get it now! I’m not dying! Yippee!” (shouts as he excitedly walks through the waiting room, not giving another thought to his path towards heaven)

Have you ever thought about where you might be at this moment in your life on the road to heaven? I wonder myself, if I am as far as I presume I am. I have found that as human beings we tend to err on the side of thinking we are spiritually doing better than we actually are. We sort of round up, in a gross overestimation of our goodness and holiness. Then there are those who don’t give any thought at all to what might come after this life. Neither presuming nor negating our future is beneficial. There is an end for each of us. Yet, we have immense control now in how we chose to live our lives, which will impact in a positive or negative manner, our hereafter.

We hear about God being “holy” in Leviticus 11:44,

“For I, the LORD, am your God. You shall make and keep yourselves holy, because I am holy…”

St. Peter echoed this,

“…but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct…” (1 Peter 1:15)

St. Paul too, in his letter to the Ephesians wrote,

 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.”(Eph 1:3-4)

You may think it convenient that I was able to come up with three Scripture references about holiness to make my point. We are to be holy in imitation of God’s holiness. However, this is only three, of the over thirty references I came across. I think perhaps there is a message for us.

Where are you on the path towards heaven? What are you personally doing to grow in holiness which advances our journey towards heaven?

Don’t worry if you are thinking about this in depth for the first time, or the first time in a long time.

We can help.

We have been busy working and planning at St Andrew’s as we emerge from this pandemic asking ourselves that very question.

“Journey Towards Holiness” is our prayerful response and we can’t wait to tell you all about it starting with Fr. Robert’s Monday message on Facebook. I hope you will join us.  Together we can do this.