Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
– Philippians 3:20-21
Heaven Is My Home is a song that I wrote in honor of my friend Chris, who went to Heaven in September of 2004. I have been singing this song for 15 years because he deserves to be remembered. He was a genuinely kind person who loved Jesus and had a heart for helping others.
In its first incarnation, Heaven Is My Home was a sappy “I know my soulmate is out there somewhere” kind of song. I don’t remember any of the original lyrics except the bridge: “I’ll wait for you, my love.” Lame. But upon Chris’s passing, the subject matter of life, death, and eternity started to permeate my songwriting. If anyone remembers the Perfect Paradox song, Blur the Lines, I wrote it around the same time: “You blur the lines between death and life.”
Essentially, Heaven Is My Home is a reminder that for Christians, the end is not the end. Even though we all die a physical death, we will be raised in Jesus to eternal life. As Jesus said to his friend Martha when her brother Lazarus died, “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (Jn 11:25-26).
It’s interesting to consider how my thinking has changed from when I first wrote Heaven Is My Home to what I believe today. While my faith in Jesus has remained steadfast, my theology of the afterlife is different than when I wrote it. Lyrically, it’s apparent that, as a 19-year old, my understanding of Heaven was more abstract and cultural than it was Biblical; the song paints a picture of a far-off place to where we escape when we die. I think there’s room for that within orthodoxy, especially considering Jesus’ words to the repentant thief as he hung on the cross: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk 23:43). Nevertheless, if all that comes to mind for Christians is an other-worldly state of nirvana, we’re missing at least half of the picture.
Today, my hope is not so much in escaping the world but rather in God’s promise to redeem it. Consider Revelation 21:1-5a:
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
On the last day, there will be a co-mingling of Heaven and Earth in which God himself dwells with humanity. Heaven won’t be far away; it will be right here! How this plays out is a mystery, but I am confident in two things: God will be with us, and he’s going to make everything right. At the end of the day, I’m still just a kid whose understanding of God is only a water drop in an ocean of comprehension.
Heaven Is My Home means even more to me now than when I wrote it. In addition to the song being written in honor of my friend Chris, I’ve also had the sacred privilege of singing it at both of my grandmothers’ funerals. The older I get, the more I understand that every moment is a gift. Every second we’re alive, every breath we breathe, every heartbeat…it’s all grace. And through Jesus, we have confidence in a life that never ends. Because of this truth, I’m looking forward to hanging out with Chris – and my grandparents – again someday.
Lyrics:
Fear, it means nothing
to the one who is most assured of
a life everlasting;
there’s nothing to be afraid of
Heaven is calling
This time I intend to answer
I don’t belong here
I yearn for the day I’ll be there
‘Cause I know that Heaven is my home
And my hope is in your love alone
It’s so ironic
that death could be arbitrary
But life everlasting
makes our endings so necessary
I’ll wait for you, my Lord
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