Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Revelations 19:7
I've experienced heaven on earth twice. The first time was at the 2003 Urbana Missions Conference. I know heaven'll be a lot than the 20,000 people at Urbana. Sure, it'll be a lot shinier, with all that gold ground reflecting all God's glory. But somehow, when that stadium speckled with every race imaginable hit midnight on New Year's Eve, and everyone hugged the strangers around them, I felt more at home and in glory than I ever had. A trace of paradise, smack in the middle of Illinois.
Yesterday, heaven came to earth again at Heather and Wes's Bolivian wedding reception. We celebrated their marriage in a trout restaurant on Lake Titicaca. Heather, the beautiful bride, submitted to the Bolivian flare for the dramatic by making her grand entrance from sea in a dragon-headed reed boat, flower crown on her head. But it wasn't the flower crown or the brightly striped Bolivian clothes that made me think of heaven and the bride of Christ. It was the dancing.
After the service, the two man Andean band played lively folk music that coaxed even us stiff gringos onto the dance floor. We joined the twirling, skipping, Jewish-like wedding dances hesitantly. Soon we were all hand in hand, swinging in a circle around Heather and Wes.
And then, (in the slow-motion film that rolls through my brain during those rare “ah-hah!” moments) I saw the circle for what it really was. I was holding the hand of a beautiful old woman from Heather's church, who was holding the hand of woman who used to prostitute, who was holding the hand of our semi-illiterate cook, who was twirling our volunteer doctor into the circle. OK, so it wasn't the United Nations Diversity Committee, but the mix of Latino, Aymara, and North American, the drastic poverty and considerable wealth, the ages and cultures and tragedies and cleansed sins present in that circle struck me. To realize that these broken, dissimilar sinners are the Bride of Christ, the Church.
It's hopeful to remember the heaven on earth moments when most days feel like hell on earth. October and November were difficult months. There was another medical scare from our youngest member, Luke Baker. There was the disappointing stumble from our rehabilitating friend Hans. There's been general exhaustion, sickness, depression, and discord. Dancing moments, those heavenly moments, are the things that save me from burnout and remind me that Christ has already come, that in him we are already victorious.
My Servant Team, the two superb girls who have stumbled with us through the heaven and hell of the past few months, is winding down. We leave for a much needed retreat on Friday, to join the Lima Servant Team in Copacobana for some R&R and debriefing. I've attached to them, and will miss them immensely. But another four girls show up in February, and there's much refining to do in between.
Thanks for your prayers, constant support, and all the love demonstrated in little ways.
In Christ,
Cara Strauss
cara.strauss@wordmadeflesh.com
Cara Strauss
c/o Heather Coaster
Casilla 25022
El Alto, Bolivia