Can You Tell Me How to Get to Heavenly Streets?

       [Note: This is a favorite entry from the archives. It's a treatise of Sesame Street theology! (And yes, Sesame Street is still one of the best shows on television today. :-) There are a lot of things from childhood that still resonate with us and that are common in our experience, no matter the age level. I try to explore that in this blog. As one of my Christian heroes said, "The child is in me still and sometimes not so still." (That's a Mister Rogers quote! :-)) May you enjoy some sunny days where everything's A-okay this week as the Son shines in your life.]

       And because, as I’ve heard it said before, “Everything is theology”, I wanted to share some musings about an unusual place to find theology perhaps- but it’s definitely a great place to learn new things- like ABCs and 123s. You still know how to get there, don’t you?
Nonetheless, lest we forget, can you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame Street? :-)
       I was thinking on this a while back- there are a number of songs on Sesame Street that may speak to simple themes, but also in some ways point to a much bigger picture. The name of the show itself is taken from a phrase from the “Arabian Nights”- “Open Sesame” is the phrase Ali Baba learns that the 40 thieves use to open the door to their cave of (stolen) treasures. Sesame Street as a TV show strives to be an open cave full of treasure as well- the treasure of knowledge; the path of wisdom. And is that not the longing we hear expressed even in the very theme song- “Sunny days- sweeping the clouds away; on my way to where the air is sweet- Can you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame Street? Come and play- everything’s A-okay. Family, neighbors, friends- that’s where we meet. Can you tell me how to get- to get to Sesame Street? It’s a magic carpet ride- every door will open wide for happy people like you. Happy people like… What a glorious- Sunny day sweeping the clouds away- on my way to where the air is sweet- can you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame Street?”……… Sunny days- where the air is sweet and where the clouds are swept away- that description sounds fairly similar to Heaven where God gives us endless happy days with Him for those who trust Him as Savior- and He wipes away all our tears.  And we meet family, neighbors and friends who have trusted Christ as Savior too. It is certainly glorious there- (Revelation 21-22) And isn’t this the end goal everyone wants to get to- yet everyone is asking everyone else, “Can you tell me how to get there?” And of course, as we seek this wisdom- we seek the right path to God- The Bible tells us that we could never know the way on our own- and that’s why God revealed it to us through Jesus- He is The Way, The Truth and The Life- No man comes to The Father but by Him. Proverbs 8 gives us a whole chapter of Wisdom crying out to us and imploring us to seek her and find her. And Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of The Holy One is understanding.” And as we are on this quest, God has given us knowledge of Himself through revelation both in creation and in His Word- and in The Living Word- Jesus Himself. (John 1:1-14) Some of the other songs on the show reveal to me some other theological themes, whether intended or not. These are metaphors that talk of some of the simplest childhood desires and pleasures- but they also reveal something of the “eternity in our hearts” that God has placed in all of us. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
        One of my favorite songs on the show really drives this point home- “Somebody Come and Play”. What a simple invitation but isn’t this the longing we all have within us, both as children and teenagers and adults? “Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody come and smile the smiles and sing the songs- it won’t take long. Somebody come and play today. Somebody come and play; somebody come and play my way- Somebody come and rhyme the rhymes and laugh the laughs- it won’t take time. Somebody come and play today. Somebody come with me and see the pleasure in the wind- Somebody see the time is getting late to begin. Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody come and be my friend- and watch the sun until it rains again. Somebody come and play today. (La la la la la la……..etc.) Somebody come with me and see the pleasure in the wind- Somebody see the time is getting late to begin. Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody come and be my friend- and watch the sun until it rains again. Somebody come and play today.” I hear this song and just think of Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, which talks of how meaningless toil on this earth is and how a man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. But of course, this too is from the hand of God- we really find no enjoyment without Him. As Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 tells us, even when Solomon denied himself no pleasure, he still found that in all that he had done and toiled to achieve- it was all meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Of course, while Ecclesiastes 3 speaks of a time and place for everything, the entire book reminds us of how futile our efforts at pleasure and work and all that we do on Earth really are- outside of God. The full duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments- He’s the only One who brings any fulfillment in life. We all desire somebody to come and play and be our friend because we all have a longing for companionship. Adam felt it in the Garden of Eden when he realized that none of the trees and plants or animals would do it- thus, God created Eve for Adam because He saw it was not good for man to be alone. (Genesis 1:18)
          And while The Bible definitely tells us that he who finds a wife finds a good thing and a blessing from The Lord- and this is certainly a great way that God has provided for that need in our lives- but we also can’t find full satisfaction in any human being. We are all fallible and we all let each other down. God Himself is the only One who never does that and who is always faithful, loving us with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) And ultimately, He is the One we must look to first and foremost to be our faithful, forever Friend and Father. (Psalms 73:24-28)
           What about yet another simple statement that also carries such profound ideas behind it? As Cookie Monster famously sang, “C is for Cookie”- and that’s good enough for me.
Yes, “C” is for cookie. “C” is also for Calvary’s cross and covenant and ultimately Christ- and that’s good enough for me. And He’s good enough for me. Christ is my only righteousness, as I have none of my own. (Which numerous passages make clear- Romans 3:10, Psalms 14:3, Psalms 53:3, Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64:6). This is another incredible idea in God’s Word that we can’t fully understand- but we trust and rest in it- and that is good enough for us. Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that we are saved by grace alone. Hebrews 9:12-14 says that through Christ’s death and Resurrection, our consciences are cleared when we trust in Him. His righteousness is imputed to us! God no longer sees our sin when He then looks at us- He sees the righteousness of Christ instead! (Romans 5:12-21 explains this beautifully!)
         And then when we realize that gift that God has given us in Jesus and we recognize the life that He has called us to- He should truly become our magnificent obsession, much as Cookie Monster has for cookies. As Colossians 3:1-4 tells us, we have died and our lives are now hidden with Christ in God. Therefore, we must set our minds on things above, not on things below. Ultimately, we must set our minds on Christ and let Him become our only gain- and count everything else a loss. (Philippians 3- particularly verse 8.) This is a picture of the desire and love we should have for Jesus Christ. As Cookie Monster says- who cares about anything else? C is for Christ- and He’s good enough for me. And what should follow next but naturally a song of praise and thanks to God for being “my very Best Friend- it’s true.” And I can’t think of a song that better espouses this on Sesame Street than Ernie’s classic ode to “Rubber Duckie”. Indeed, Lord Jesus- You’re The One. You make everything so much fun. You are The Meaning and The Inspiration and The Only One who makes something out of my life and life in general. Thank You for giving us life eternal and life abundant. (John 10:10) I’m awfully fond of You, to say the least. (Psalms 73)- Lord, sometimes You aren’t the most overwhelming desire in my life as You should be. Forgive me for those times. Help me to keep You on a pedestal above all else- nothing else in life matters more than You. How could I ever settle for the emptiness of life apart from You? I can’t do anything without You (John 15:5)- I need You, Lord Jesus- every hour I need You, most gracious Lord. Thank You for always being there. But sometimes in this life of faith, that old ugly man of sin rears his head again. It’s a sobering thing when I realize “The Monster in the Mirror” is me. I’m starting with the man in the mirror- I’m asking him to change his ways. But, much as I appreciate Michael Jackson’s directive to start with myself and work on my own plankeye before I try to get the speck out of my brother’s eye, I can’t do it on my own. It is me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer. (Of course, we all are, really though- but before I look to criticize my brother and sister in The Lord- I’m going to ask You to cleanse me first.) (Psalms 139:23-24).
         That struggle between the old nature of sin and new nature in Christ rages on- and I am no one to judge anyone else because I do the same things! (Romans 2 and Romans 14). As Romans 7 says, what a wretched man I am! Who will save me from this cycle of sin I keep getting caught in? Thanks be to God- He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
           And before we judge others, let’s seek to do unto them as we would have them do unto us. (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31). Remember the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25- Those that we are quick, like Grover, to “wubba” because they “wubba”ed us first- we must learn to love and learn to do good things unto them. We must love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us. And maybe we’ll come to realize that the people of low position we look down on in life- all the ones we would never want to associate with- the ones perhaps we would think of as monsters…. We are no better than them- we are the same- all in the same boat. (James 2:10) We’ve all fallen and are in no place to judge. (Matthew 7:1-3) Rather, speak the Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:15) and love God with all we’ve got and love our neighbor as ourselves. Paul was one of the greatest missionaries ever and a powerful man of God- but he never forgot his past as a murderous enemy of God and persecutor of Jesus- just see 1 Timothy 1:15-17 for evidence. But God redeemed even the chief of sinners- and He can redeem any who come to trust in Him. And He has the power to keep us from stumbling (Jude 1:24-25) and keep us from temptation and deliver us from the evil one- we have to trust Him for that and let Him pick us back up when we do fall down. (Matthew 9:6-15 and 1 Corinthians 10:13) The saints are just the sinners who fall down- and God picks back up.
      And perhaps one of the most poignant songs ever recorded on Sesame Street (and of course, it has been performed on The Muppet Show and numerous other places)- Kermit’s swan song. (okay- frog song, I guess. :-)). No, it’s not easy “Bein’ Green”- sometimes I do think it might be nicer being red or yellow or gold- or something colorful like that. It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things and people tend to pass you over ‘cause you’re not standing out from everyone else…. But green’s the color of spring- and green can be cool and friendly-like. And green can be big like a mountain or important like a river or tall like a tree. When green is all there is to be- it could make you wonder why- but why wonder? Why wonder? I’m green- and it’ll do fine. It’s beautiful- and I think it’s what I want to be.
       Ultimately, this song speaks to me about being the person that God made us to be. We are all made in His image (Genesis 1:26)- every man and woman. And we are all made to be exactly the person God made us to be. When we can learn to be happy with who God has made us to be, we can learn how to love others better. It is then that we are not comparing ourselves with others and making ourselves jealous and envious of others- rather, we learn to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:9-21). We learn to see The Divine in each other (by this, I don’t mean in a New Age sense). Rather, I mean like what Matthew 25:40 says- when we’ve done any kindness unto the least of Christ’s brethren- we’ve done it unto Him. Feed the poor, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, invite in the stranger, care for the sick and visit the imprisoned. When we can accept ourselves as wonderfully and fearfully made in God’s image (Psalms 139) and know that we are eternally loved by Him (Jeremiah 31:3, Hosea 11, Hosea 2:19-20, John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8) – we are set free to love others with that same kind of Yahweh love that Isaiah 53 demonstrates.
            And even if we do get lonely in loving and serving Jesus, we know that first of all- He said we would get ostracized by the world because we don’t belong to the world- we will be hated by the world; but remember- it hated Him first. (John 15:18-27, Matthew 24:9) And those who reject us aren’t really rejecting us anyway- we’re just the messengers. It’s Christ they’re rejecting ultimately. But God has called us to be separate in Christ.
(1 Peter 1:13-21 and 1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 13:11-14, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 2 Corinthians 7:1) He’s also called us to let our light shine before men so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
And of course, the color green is the color of growth- and we are continually growing in The Lord until the day of completion and perfection in Heaven. (Philippians 1:6) Be praised for all Your tenderness, Lord, by these works of Your hands. Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land. Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise! I’m happy to be who You made me to be. Keep making me the person You want me to be. Thank You for always working in me and never giving up on me and never leaving me. (Hebrews 13:5)
        And another one of my all time favorite Sesame Street songs really wraps up the ultimate longing we all have inside of us- the longing for Home. And of course, for those who know Christ as Savior, our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20) and we eagerly await the Savior from there to come back for us- The Lord Jesus Christ. One day He will return and will restore all things to what they should be. “Behold, I make all things new!” (Revelation 21:5) And I think this tender lullaby from Ernie brings out this idea well- ultimately, I want to be Home- and that’s in Heaven with God. No matter where else I might go to try to fill this longing- it doesn’t really satisfy. And that’s why “I Don’t Want To Live On The Moon”.
As C.S. Lewis once wrote (and I’m paraphrasing some here)- If I discover a longing inside myself that can’t be filled by anything in this world, the most probable and logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
      Sure, I’d like to visit the moon and dance on a moonbeam there- I’d like to travel under the sea and meet all the fish everywhere… I’d like to visit the jungle and hear the lions roar- I’d like to go back and time and meet a dinosaur….there are so many strange places I’d like to be, but none of them permanently…. But ultimately, I’d miss all the people and places I love- none of these places are really Home…….. So if I should visit the moon, I’ll dance on a moonbeam and then- I will make a wish on a star (The Bright and Morning Star- Revelation 22:16)- and I’ll wish I was Home once again.
       This is the longing that Christ will fulfill for all eternity in Revelation 21-22. And that truly is the end of all the stories- the term is over and the holidays have begun. The dream is over- this is the morning! :-) And that’s where The Story truly begins- The One that goes on for eternity- and every page is better than the one before!
         And until we reach Heaven’s gates, the most appropriate response I can think of, in gratitude to Jesus for all He’s done for us and continues to do for us and will do for us- is the simple exhortation to “Sing”. Sing. Sing a song-sing out loud, sing out strong. Sing of good things- not bad. Sing of happy- not sad. Sing- sing a song. Make it simple to last your whole life long. Don’t worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear-sing- sing a song! La la la la la la! :-)
Sing a song of praise to God! (Psalms 95:1-2, Psalms 100, Psalms 101:1)
My life will be a song of praise to You, Lord Jesus. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14)
(And one other cool thing to note about this song- it’s sung in both English and Spanish. What a cool reminder that one day we who know Christ as Savior will be among a great cloud of witnesses- a multitude from every tribe, language, race and tongue and all praising God together forever in eternity! – Revelation 7:9-17 gives us this beautiful picture.) Amen! Praise The Lord! Soli Deo Gloria!

Single-Minded

         "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD." (Proverbs 18:22)
"I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." (1 Corinthians 7:7-9)
(And just to clarify, I'm speaking as a single man.)
            Marriage is awesome! Of course, marriage is also a ton of hard work! Marriage can actually have some pretty awful, strifeful moments at times and seem horrendous! But the vow of love before God helps hold a man and woman together and a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (as Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 talks about.) If The Lord decides to let me have a wife- cool. If The Lord decides for me to remain single- cool. As Romans 14:8 says, whether I live or die- I'm The Lord's- I live and die to Him.
        As to all the business about being called to be single and such- I know Jesus refers to this some in Matthew 19. And I don't know that I feel "called" to be single (I don't know that I feel particularly "called" to anything other than called to obey God and preach The Gospel, as God commands in His Word in The Bible)- but I do know that whether I feel called to be celibate or not, I sure better be celibate as long as I'm single because sex outside of marriage is a sin.
        So I can understand the despair and discouragement and despondency and depression (wow- a lot of "d" words are rather dreary....) for the unwilling single person- I go through that some at times myself. But I honestly usually don't care- it's not that I particularly desire to be single or whatever- I would like to be married to the right woman someday- but until such time that God grants me a wife, I'll be a single virgin man who seeks to serve Christ with all his heart, soul, mind and strength even though he fails miserably quite often but still keeps trusting Jesus to work in him as Philippians 1:6 promises that Jesus will do until I'm there with Him in Heaven.
         Here's another "d" word that's a bit more cheery- Delight yourself in The Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4) Which doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get married. It may mean that you truly do find your joy solely in The Lord (Nehemiah 8:10) and that you're not really all that worried about getting married.
         And let's not make marriage to be more than it is. Our society in the world at large tends to worship it to some degree and elevate it to a wrong status. If we're looking to marriage to fulfill all of our longings and desires for company and companionship, we're going to be sorely disappointed when we finally get it. Jesus Christ is the only One who truly can fulfill all desires of the heart- but even that will not be fully realized until we're in Heaven.
          So I just try to keep my focus on Jesus and not worry too much about marriage and such- there's no marriage in Heaven anyway [in the sense of a man and woman uniting as one before God], so why should I worry about the mistful vapor years I've got on Earth with that when I've got eternity ahead of me with more important things of the Kingdom to consider? (Not to say that marriage on earth is not important though- as I said before, it's awesome! And it can be pretty horrible at times too. It's certainly never easy.) But there is the marriage supper of The Lamb in Heaven, so I'm glad to be on the invitation list for that. And yes- the church is the bride of Christ, but it really doesn't work too well for single men to say Jesus is my husband. wink emoticon But He is my Lord, Savior and Best Friend Forever (yes- He really is my BFF and yes, I really made that cultural reference- lol) :-) and that's the most important thing.
          And I must say I really thank Him for family and friends and brothers and sisters in Christ who remind me of the fellowship that we all enjoy together in Christ now and will enjoy eternally and more so than we've ever experienced here when we all get to Heaven. :-)
           So just remember God loves you and it'll be alright. And take your pain and loneliness to The Lord- Job and David and Habakkuk and Hannah and Naomi and Jeremiah and tons of others sure weren't shy about it- and God knows all of our needs and He will provide for them all according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) He may not provide all our wants, but it may be that He'll help us learn to be content in all situations (as Philippians 4 talks about right before that famous verse in 13- the one about how I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me- the one that might be better read as I can endure all things through Christ who strengthens me.) And don't forget that those who have given up families for Christ's sake in this life will receive 100-fold times in the next. I think sometimes God is saying to us- I want you to want Me. :-) And that's no cheap trick- look at all that God has done for us- He wants us so badly He went to Hell and back for us when Christ died and rose to pay for our sins! 1 Corinthians 10:31 commands us to do everything as unto The Lord and not just unto men. Thus, whatever I do, I want to be single-minded in purpose as I focus on bringing God glory. If I can do that better as a married man, praise God! If I can do that better as a single man, praise God! :-) (God is praised always regardless.)
I know I don't want God as much as I should- but I want to want Him and want nothing else. And I pray as Thomas Merton did that even that in itself is pleasing to Him. And He'll take care of the rest, as Keith Green said.
         Hope those ramblings help someone else who was born a rambling man (or a rambling woman, as the case may be.) Take care and God bless.