You should be impatient, tired, and ready to give up. But, instead you are fueled by the hope that is in you. The long road that you had traveled seems like nothing compared to the joy that has now been released within you.
A smile slices across your face as you think about the people that you'll finally get see again once you're inside. You just need to open the door.
In your excitement, you don't even knock, you just burst through.
And there, just as you had expected are family and friends whom you have waited far too long to see.
Want some even better news?
That's just the beginning.
For, tomorrow is The Convention...
It's the one you've been waiting for the entire year.
You get up and go at the crack of dawn. You don't feel tired or upset that you had to get up. You don't hope to go back to bed for just a couple more minutes. You don't even hit the snooze button. Instead, you feel anxious, alert and ready, giddy even.
The drive seems like a millisecond and the time for preparation minuscule.
You have no worries...
You're going to The Convention!!!!!!
You might not be the most prepared, the most in-costume, or even the one with the most comic book knowledge. You might not be able to tell the difference between Captain America and Captain Planet. But, you're ecstatic just to be there.
The place is full, packed to the brim, in a hall bigger, vaster, grander than you could have ever imagined.
EVERYONE is there: the young, babies, infants, toddlers, kids, teens, the experienced, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, hobbiests, enthusiasts, artists, inkers, painters, writers, vendors, men, women, black, white, red, green... Everyone. Cosplay and "normal" alike.
But, these people really aren't "normal." There's something that sets them apart. It always has. And, it probably always will. They're different than the people on the outside. The thing is, they're all there for one reason, one mysterious and slightly awkwardly deep reason. They're there because they all love comic books.
They show this love in limitless ways. There are people dressed up as the characters that interest them, the characters they respect, or the characters that they'd just love to be. There are artists scribbling, doodling, water-coloring, tattooing, and creating in their own unique way from the inspiration of the stories that they have seen. There are vendors with comics, literature, signs, T-Shirts, sculptures, and buttons. There are pannels to learn more about what you have seen in the comics and what is yet to come. There are even games being played based off of your favorite characters.
And, in this limitless love and this limitless expression of that love, the thing that hits you the most is that they all marvel in it. You know that the people here soak up the experience just because they know everyone else loves being here. Their love radiates love. Although it may not be true, you have the feeling that these people would gather together here at this time, no matter the cost, just because they loved to.
Even without the vendors.
Even without the costumes.
Even without the pannels.
Even without the makeup and costumes.
You have this feeling, this understanding of an unusual love, that runs so deep in all of these people that they would gladly come back again just for the chance to experience it.
And then, before you know it, it's 7:00PM. The lights go off. The Convention is over.
And, you can't wait until next year.
You can't wait to see your friends again.
You can't wait to marvel at all that you see.
But, most of all, you can't wait to come back and see an awkward and mysterious love for a mythology that doesn't even exist unfold once again before your very eyes.
It reminds you that although you are different, although you don't fit outside of that one big building, although you just don't have a place in the real world as comfortable as the place you have there...
You know that you'll be back.
"The kingdom of heaven is like..." this.
After the long, long journey, you finally arrive at the home you'll be staying in. It never really was your home before. But, it feels like home nonetheless.
You should be impatient, tired, and ready to give up. But, instead you are fueled by the hope that is in you. The long road that you had traveled seems like nothing compared to the joy that has now been released within you.
A smile slices across your face as you think about the people that you'll finally get see again once you inside. You just need to open the door. You can't understand how some people could even think about staying outside, avoiding the door at all costs. But, thankfully, the door had always seemed like a pretty obvious entryway to you.
In your excitement, you don't even knock, you just burst through.
And there, just as you had expected are family and friends whom you have waited far too long to see.
Want some even better news?
That's just the beginning.
You're about to experience The Convention.
You have no worries...
You might not be the most prepared, the most well-dressed, or even the one with the most Biblical knowledge. You might not be able to tell the difference between Moses and Elijah. But, you're ecstatic just to be there.
The place is full, packed to the brim, in a hall bigger, vaster, grander than you could have ever imagined.
(Figuratively) EVERYONE is there.
"A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb..."
"After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, 'Hallelujah!'"
These people really aren't "normal." There's something that sets them apart. It always has. And, it probably always will. They're different than the people on the outside. The thing is, they're all there for one reason, one mysterious and slightly awkwardly deep reason. They're there because they all love God.
...And, in this limitless love and this limitless expression of that love, the thing that hits you the most is that they all marvel in it. You know that the people here soak up the experience just because they know everyone else loves being here. Their love radiates love... And, this peculiar love is deeper than any other sort of love that you have ever previously known. Perhaps it is because not only do they love one another, walking, standing, and sitting in love... You also bask in the source of their love:
"From the throne came a voice saying, 'Praise our God'...'Hallelujah!'"
Although you had forgotten to dress up, you feel as if you're at a party you never deserved to be a part of and you're not even wearing clean clothes, the host provides you with a white garment. He gives you his own pure white gown as he had already done for all of the guests before you... You dread at the thought of the cost it must have taken to provide the garments for everyone who had arrived.
And, the chorus cries out, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the lamb!"
You have this feeling, this understanding of an unusual love, that runs so deep in all of these people that they had waited all of their lives just for the chance to experience it.
And then, you realize, this will never end. The lights will never shut off. The Convention is never over.
And, you will never have to wait again.
You don't have to wait to see your friends again.
You don't have to wait to marvel at all that you see.
But, most of all, you don't have to wait to come back and experience a limitless and mysterious love for the Being who had always existed.
You're already there.
This is why we must not neglect "to meet together..."
"We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus" in a hope that's unwavering. In the vision above, you are already there, in the holy places of God. But, until then, we have a day of Sabbath to acknowledge his holiness on Earth.
Sunday morning should get you excited. You should long for worship.
You should be able to get up and go at the crack of dawn. Because, you don't feel tired or upset that you had to get up. You don't hope to go back to bed for just a couple more minutes. You don't even hit the snooze button. Instead, you feel anxious, alert and ready, giddy even.
The drive seems like a millisecond and the time for preparation minuscule.
And, when you get there, it reminds you that you are different, you don't fit outside of that one big building, you just don't have a place in the real world as comfortable as the place you have there...
There's something that sets you apart. It always has. And, it probably always will. The thing is, you, along with everyone else in attendance, is there for one reason, one mysterious and slightly awkwardly deep reason... because you love God.
That's the purpose of Sunday morning.
Worship and rejoicing.
Love and fellowship.
Word and Sacrament.
If that's not what happens on Sunday morning, there's only one Holy Spirit-inspired person who is able to change it. That person is you. Love begins with God and works its way through you, it goes not without effect as it spreads like a contagion to those around you. It works as it always has and always will, in a mysterious and peculiar fashion.
Once The Sunday Convention begins, you get the feeling that these people would gather together here at this time, no matter the cost, just because they love to.
Even without the hymnals or the slideshows.
Even without the vestments or the simple dress.
Even without the bells or the bass guitar.
Even without the art and decor.
They'd gather because they love God and His love goes not without effect. They marvel in His love as they share it with one another.
They can't wait to come back for the next service.
In fact, the love of God inspires them so much, they get to thinking about the times between services. How can they form panels to discuss what they love? How can they get people together to spread the news of this different and exciting world? What can they do to keep the joy and excitement, the worship and blessedness, the fellowship and enstrengthenment the whole week long?
As the people get to talking, you realize that a convention like this is worth inviting the world to.
It's something worth searching out each individual for, to invite them to join in the celebration, to learn of the feast and its meaning, to rejoice with them as they begin the understand that they now have a reason to rejoice.
And, even more so:
All tribes and nations, peoples and races, would yearn to come... to experience... to know what it's like to be a Christian.
They will not go away empty handed.
For, "If anyone loves God, he is known by Him."
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