In the last blog I noted that we needed to stop maintaining hell and heaven. That was meant to stop us from using them as places separate from here - places used as threat or reward for actions done or left undone. I would call that anti-Reign of God preaching and talk that really has nothing to do with the unbounded love of God that is to be embodied in time - our time. Well, last night a bit of heaven broke in and I almost missed it. We were sitting in a bar listening to one of our favorite artists in NOLA - Washboard Chaz - and another regular - St. Louis Slim on guitar. Chaz was moving baby - wow.
During a set an older man with crutches slowly moved by the bar and a noisy bunch of patrons. From my perspective he moved through the place like he was a regular. My only thought was it was neat that someone in his condition would be walking along Frenchmen Street and then into a bar to listen to music. Nice.
We continued to listen and watch the band and a group of women who were on the dance floor doing what Chaz would later call - some kind of interpretive dance. Occasionally my eyes would return to the bar because of the noise by a small group of patrons. It always bugs me when the musicians have to play over the noise of folks who really don't need to be in a music venue to carry on their conversations - but that is not the issue at hand here. The man with the crutches started to move his way closer to the bar area. He stopped and rested on his crutches and continued to listen to the band. Within a few moments, a young woman approach the tall table in front of us and asked if one of the stools was available to be taken. They said yes and then she took it. She carried the stool across half of the room to provide a seat for the man to sit on or at least rest against. Before she had finished that task, a young man did the same - not seeing what the woman had done. After taking a few steps toward the man he realized what had been done and simply returned the stool to the table in front of us.
Heaven broke in and then it broke in again - right in the same place. There is the saying that lightening doesn't strike the same place twice. Yet in that bar with the hot washboard playing of Washboard Chaz, heaven struck twice without anyone pressuring anyone else about what should or should not be done. There was a possible need - an opportunity to see to the well-being of another, and people acted. The chair could have been refused - no one ever needs to accept a gift if they don't need it. The chair was accepted and the world kept spinning to the blues and the dancers kept twirling lost in their own world of fun.
This would be some sort of place if we who are called religious people would become a part of the heaven that is at hand - breaking in - turning the world upside down - loving one another without qualification - moving the chairs of the room to make sure everyone has a place to rest while the blues of the world roll on. That is really how things are to be in the midst of the blues. Heaven breaks in without invitation to change the room in order to make everyone feel at home.
TRRR
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