Showing posts with label heaven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heaven. Show all posts

Monday, May 10, 2021

in memoriam: my dad, Richard Goetze


my dad, richard goetze, preaching at Presence in London Ontario, ca  2009. Photo by rob goetze (me)
In memory of Richard Goetze
December 16, 1938 - April 26, 2020


Like me, many people have been positively influenced by Richard's ministry as a pastor over the years, and have missed his good teaching and preaching.

Here's one more opportunity to learn and grow:

No, it's not a never heard before sermon, found tucked away in the back of a filing cabinet. It was a conversation...


But before that, some background, some remembering about my dad:

Richard wanted to know more about grace and mercy, about the love of God for us. He wasn’t into petty rules and gatekeeping and the many other things that keep people out of the church. He hoped everyone would end up with our heavenly father; he wanted to open wide the gates of heaven. He was not content to believe that a God of love would let millions of beloved children end up in eternal torment.

That was my dad. Hoping and believing that God is so much bigger than we are and better than our theology. Believing in a God who would find wonderful amazing ways to bring all their beautiful children home in the end, so that when we all find ourselves in heaven there will be far more people than we expect to see there.

This was my dad. This was Richard, believing in grace and love and mercy for everyone. Believing that God’s arms are open wider than the church imagines, wider than you and I can imagine.

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

will there be chocolate in heaven?

And for some, a more important question: will there be sex in heaven?

As always, Jesus has an answer:

Rabbi, will there be sex in heaven?  -- here's why not. cartoon by robg


p.s.
They say there's nothing new under the sun, but if you google the word "acopulyptic", you won't get any results except from this post once Google indexes it. That's my word, folks!

Friday, September 26, 2014

jesus and heaven's wall

You may have seen this picture shared on social media and thought, pretty cool! So did I. 

But did you know there's more to the story?

jesus pulling them over the wall. Shared by friends on FB. Probable source: www.facebook.com/thegodarticle.


First, let's recap with a copy of the image text:
Saint Peter and the Angel Gabriel had a problem. Peter was sorting people at the Pearly Gates letting some in and keeping others out, but Gabriel was finding more people in heaven than Peter was letting in. They were befuddled. Gabriel told Peter to keep working and he'd get to the bottom of this. A few hours later he came back and told Peter not to worry; he'd figured it out. "It's Jesus. He's pulling people in over the wall."
(text from picture above)
Now here's the rest of the story:

After talking to Peter, Gabriel went off to his cloud to think. You see, he hadn't told Peter the whole story. He had seen more than he mentioned, more than he wanted to see -- no, even more than he wanted to believe. It was shocking, in fact, and he wasn't sure his heart would hold out.

He had been taking a shortcut to ask another angel about the discrepancy in numbers when ahead in the distance, he noticed a flurry of movement along the wall. Moving closer, he had seen someone using a sledge hammer to make a hole in the wall, a hole through which people were peering.

He had rushed over to put a stop to it, but before he was close enough for the offender to notice him, he realized that it was Jesus himself wielding the sledge hammer. He had pulled back, watching with disbelief, mesmerized by the sight: Jesus breaking the wall and then waving people inwards, saying, "Come in, sisters and brothers, come in," embracing those who were entering.

jesus breaking down the wall. drawing by rob g

Gabriel had finally been able to tear himself from the unbelievable sight. Leaving the scene, he took extra time on his way back in order to think of a reasonable story to tell Peter.

I'll tell him that Jesus was pulling people over the wall, Gabriel had finally concluded. Peter shouldn't see that as a problem. After all, Jesus would know who's allowed in and who wasn't, and Peter would be happy that with Jesus' help, the line at the main gate would be shorter. So that's what he told him.

But now, back at his cloud, Gabriel really didn't know what to think, 'cuz Jesus was definitely not checking anyone's ID. He pinched himself in case he was dreaming, and then slapped himself just to be sure. No, I'm really awake and this is really happening, he said to himself. Jesus is actually letting all those people in. I can't even go ask God the Father about this; He and Jesus are so tight that He surely must already know about it.

This is more than I can bear, he sighed. In all my years here I have been so careful to uphold the rules and follow procedure, and now heaven's going to hell in a hand basket....



The rest of the story:
 "jesus and heaven's wall" written by rob g.
Original image shared by friends on FB. Probably from thegodarticle.

Monday, April 28, 2014

nietzsche at heaven's door

Nietzsche at heaven's door. Cartoon by rob g


Philosopher Guiseppe Fornari, writing in A God Torn to Pieces: The Nietzsche Case, makes this rather shocking claim:

“In the end [Nietzsche] was much closer to Christ than many who would claim to be Christians.”


As Adam Ericksen explains in his review of Fornari's book,
Who was the Christ that Nietzsche rejected and that many Christians do not know? It’s the Christ who says from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Nietzsche rejected Christ because he couldn’t believe in a God who offers this universal forgiveness. And the truth is that many who claim to be Christians can’t believe in that God either.

In fact, while many Christians demonize Nietzsche with their words, they actually agree with him with their actions.

Ouch.



A God Torn to Pieces, book cover, by Giuseppe Fornari

Read the rest of Adam's comments here.

Note: I have not read Fornari's book yet, nor can I confirm whether or not Nietzsche is in heaven.

However, I do believe that God knows us all by name, and so the man we often refer to as "Nietzsche" is a human being named Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, who is loved by God.  And I believe that God is bigger than us and our ideas (and statements) about Him, and bigger than our ideas about whom we will see in heaven when we get there....

Friday, October 04, 2013

movie critique

Not needing to look him up in the book of names, the angel at the gate takes the opportunity to offer a critique of one of Hitchcock's movies:

black birds cartoon by rob g


Wednesday, October 02, 2013

breakfast not included



Ludicrous, isn't it? The idea that someone would choose to go to heaven just because of thinking that they would get breakfast there and not in hell? It reminds me of choosing Holiday Inn where a complimentary hot breakfast is often included instead of staying somewhere else....

But that's what part of the chorus suggests in the Newsboys' "Breakfast" song::

May this song remind you
That they don't serve breakfast in hell.

The song in general is complete silliness, but even silliness can send a deeper message, and I have often wondered how a friend invited to a concert with a Christian would feel about the song.

And then I wonder about using hell fire and brimstone as a way of converting people. That's why I first said yes to Jesus, and it took a lot of years to realize that God is good and that He really loved me.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

treasures on earth

treasures on earth by robg

One of the readings for Lent was Matthew 6:19-21:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
In meditating on this as part of Jim Robertson's Lenten Embers project, the idea for this cartoon came to me. I have to give a small nod to Peter Rollins as well, who often turns ideas upside down and inspired a similar treatment of this passage.

Friday, April 12, 2013

all together... again



The congregation of St. Pea's has been in turmoil over the past seven months due to a diocesan resolution which most of the parishioners do not agree with. And there has been much discussion about staying in the denomination, starting a new church, and so on.

This coming Sunday, those parishioners who are staying in the parish are going to bless those who are leaving. While we like each other and we who are staying don't want them to go, they have made their decision and we want to bless them on their journey.

When the world ends, we will be together again. All of us. Not just the two halves of St. Pea's, but all the parts and divisions and splits and split peas throughout the ages.

I think we may be surprised by whom we see. And wouldn't it be nice if we could all get along together here and now, with brothers and sisters of whatever denomination and religion, all loved by our heavenly Father?

Friday, December 14, 2012

treasures in heaven



Perhaps some followers of Jesus have transferred their materialism to heaven. Instead of owning many things and having full bank accounts here on earth, they strive to do good things so that they will have treasures in heaven.

I get the idea of building up treasures in heaven instead of down here where they rot and rust. But wouldn't it be enough just to be with our heavenly Father? And what if loving others didn't result in heavenly treasures?

Some people, like the third person here, have been given the message that they won't get in, that they might be excluded.

Monday, August 27, 2012

heavenly homonyms


Straight people. People in dire straits. People in straitjackets. People in Armani jackets.

Is there really that much difference between us?

Does the bouncer at heaven's gate let some in and keep others out? On what basis?

Monday, April 02, 2012

ticket to heaven



Fr. Ron Rolheiser, omi, wrote:
"The great Jewish prophets, the forerunners of Jesus, coined a mantra which ran something like this: The quality of your faith will be judged by the quality of justice in the land and the quality of justice in the land will be judged by how "widows, orphans and strangers" (biblical code for the three most vulnerable groups in society) fared while you were alive.

Jesus wouldn't disagree. When he describes the last judgment at the end of Matthew's Gospel, he tells us that this judgment will not be, first of all, about right doctrine, good theology, church attendance, or even personal piety and sexual morality, but about how we treated the poor. Nobody gets to heaven without a letter of reference from the poor. Jesus and the great biblical prophets make that clear."
Source: WCR, posted Feb 7/2011; retrieved jan 14/2012
Thanks to Laurier for pointing me to this quote from Fr. Rolheiser
.
It's pretty obvious who the orphans and widows are in our culture. Who are the strangers? Just people we don't know, or perhaps people we find to be strange (viz., different than us)? Who are the most vulnerable groups in our society?

Saturday, December 17, 2011

fred and his friends


Fred Phelps (not to be confused with Michael Fred Phelps the swimmer) is the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church, a small church comprised mostly of his family members. They are infamous for picketing at gay parades, funerals of gay people and soldiers, etc. Regrettably, they are the "face of Christianity" that some people see in the media -- full of hatred and bigotry and about the worst that a person can be. This Google images page will give you a visual idea of what they are all about (warning: disturbing images). Their main website is godhatesfags.com. They have been involved in this since the late '80s or so. They continue be active in picketing -- as recently as 2006, President Bush signed a Respect for America's Fallen Heros Act to stop them from picketing at military funerals.

You can also read about him on wikipedia. When I read the wikipedia article, I was quite surprised to read that Mr. Phelps is a lawyer who in his younger years was involved in fighting numerous civil rights cases on behalf of black clients. Kinda unexpected.

In any case, the cartoon takes him and his followers to the extreme. Content may be disturbing.

For the record, I have no idea as to whether Fred and his followers will make it to heaven or not. From an illustrative perspective, the angel is rather simplistic and I would in the long-run like to have a better "angel type" for my cartoons. Nonetheless, the idea is there.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

precious one


"They said you wouldn't let me in...."

Wow. Who are we to decide whether someone else gets into heaven or not? And then to have the audacity to tell other people that they won't get in! And it tends to be communicated in formats like "You are going to hell" or "Homosexuals will burn in hell."

I believe in grace. And I believe that somehow or other, millions and billions who were excluded here on earth will be welcomed into heaven, whether or not they heard about Jesus down here, whether they lived a good life or a bad life or the average life with small moments of brilliance and small moments of depravity that many of us live. I don't know how God will do it, but He can. I'm not saying there's no hell, nor am I saying that no one will end up in hell. I don't know about that. But if millions and billions are going to end up in hell, then that's not the God I want to be following. There we have it – my cards are on the table.

I believe in a big God with arms wide open. If I as an earthly father love my children no matter what, surely my heavenly Father loves us far more no matter what. Does that mean what we do here doesn't matter? Of course not. It matters immensely because what we do down here can help make the world a better place for everyone or a worse place for everyone.

I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on this....



David Hayward at the Naked Pastor has an interesting cartoon and commentary on this as well: which word doesn't belong?

Interested in reading more about the question of heaven and hell? Check out Rob Bell's new book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.Video: Introduction to Love Wins

Friday, November 04, 2011

boycott



Conservative religious people like boycotting, especially in the U.S. I remember how in the 1980's they were boycotting Proctor and Gamble products. Why, you ask? Because the original logo for P&G looked Satanic to them. Turns out that the 13 stars are not about Satan but are for the original 13 American states, and that the face is "the man in the moon." See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procter_%26_Gamble (logo controversy section) for the whole story if you are interested.

In more recent years, the religious right have boycotted various products and companies, including Disney because Disney was having some special days for gay and lesbian people. This cartoon was inspired by such things.

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

messed up



At least several ironies here, from thinking that he has it all together to the ludicrous idea that a person had the power to determine who can enter the kingdom of heaven and in what order. Of course, that's a game that's often played, with unfortunate consequences as people are judged and subsequently leave never to return (or never enter a church to begin with).

Who decides who gets into heaven? Has someone decided that you or someone you love won't be allowed in? Or shouldn't be allowed in?