Heaven Opened
and there is glory all around
My husband and I recently visited my mom. Mom lives by the ocean. One day we got up early to see the sunrise. Off we rode through the dawn on winding bike paths, under thick oak trees hung with Spanish moss, like old tree men with flowing gray-green beards. Then up and over a short bridge and the beach was in sight.
In the dim light, we could see that clouds on the horizon would block the view of the orange orb popping up over the ocean. The tide was out so we rode along the beach in the direction of the rising sun. The sky began to change from gray to tangerine, pink, and lavender. There were a few other people on the beach hoping for the sunrise, and one fisherman casting his line into the gently foaming waters.
And then, silently, the sun emerged over the clouds, a golden halo casting its reflection on the waters below, and the world was transformed. The heavens were opened. A dog chasing its ball looked like a mythical creature in the golden light, and the waves splashed their praise.
I had seen a glimpse of the glory that awaits in another realm.
God has provided a way for us to experience that glory now—God “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).”
Tomorrow (May 19) we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. We celebrate the day that the Holy Spirit came to a group of Christ-followers, calling out to God in their distress. Christ had told them to wait for his promise.
Then there came a rush like that of a mighty wind. The heavens were torn open and the Holy Spirit came down, visible as a tiny flame over each one, making them bold (Acts 2:1-47).
In my Pentecost image above, the wild goose is a Celtic image of the Holy Spirit. The womb waters swirl with creation and transformation. The Risen Lamb holds a victory banner.
Now God’s presence through the Holy Spirit is available to all who will receive him. Matthew Dickerson explains that the Holy Spirit reminds us that we are not alone. Dickerson writes, “The Holy Spirit is, indeed, the presence of God with us at all times, including the darkest times.”[1]
God sends the Holy Spirit as we call out to God, as we read Scripture, as we are still and listen, and as we look to the skies.
I experienced this yesterday. I was crying and calling out to God, and I then I prayed. I was prepared to shed more tears. Instead, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. Heaven had opened, and this promise (written by Malachi in about 633 BC) was again fulfilled:
“The sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. (Malachi 4:2)”
[1] Matthew Dickerson, Aslan’s Breath: Seeing the Holy Spirit in Narnia (Baltimore, MD: Square Halo Books, 2024), p. 63. This is a lovely book illuminates the work of the Holy Spirit in C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, and in our lives today. (Find Matt at: https://www.matthewdickerson.net/). The book includes linocut illustrations by illustrator, graphic designer, curator, author, and print maker Ned Bustard. (Find Ned at: www.WorldEndImages.com).