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Lap of Luxury

On Wednesday afternoon I literally sat in the lap of luxury.  On Tuesday night I got a phone call from my friend from childhood, Michael Hennessy (we met in Mrs. Katz’ – first grade class) inviting myself and my son James to Wednesday’s Yankee-Phillies game at Yankee Stadium.  And these were not any ordinary tickets.  Michael’s cousin gave him tickets for the Luxury Seating  at the Stadium.  The seats were in and of themselves fantastic.  Third row from the field between third base and the dugout.  A perfect view.  But more than that were the accommodations we received…all for free.  We paid nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  These perks included:
  •  Fine dining at the Legends Suite Club, featuring high end-cooking stations.  These stations included prime rib, gourmet pasta, crab legs, shrimp, mega salads, etc.
  • In-seat wait service.  We didn’t have to leave our cushioned seats during the game to get our milk shakes, gelato, iced tea and anything else we wanted.
  • Free water, non-alcoholic drinks, candy, popcorn, Cracker Jacks, peanuts, etc. all game long.
  • Cushioned seats
  • Private restrooms
  • Private entrance
  • Personal concierge service
  • Complimentary preferred parking
  • Air conditioned rooms filled with food and big screen televisions.
The only negative of the whole experience was that the Yankees won…but I was willing to put up with that annoyance as long as I could be catered to and pampered.
As I sat in those wonderful seats I looked around the stadium at all the poor souls who had to sit in the “regular” seats….Who had to actually pay for the things they ate, wait in line at the bathrooms and battle the crowds entering and leaving the stadium.  I looked with pity at the thousands of people scattered around the stadium who had no idea how the privileged were living and probably never will.  Of course, I am one of those poor souls myself!  I usually get the tickets that require an air lift to the seats and I have to bring binoculars to get any kind of close up view . I carry in huge amounts of food in a clear plastic bag so I dont’ have to pay the ridiculously high prices at the concession stands.  I never knew how this select group lived but now that I got a taste of it I will be envying them every time I sit in the nosebleed section of a stadium.  And when I see all those empty seats behind home plate at Yankee stadium I will now know that those people did not choose to stay home but instead are inside eating gourmet food in an air-conditioned restaurant watching the ball game on big screen T.V’s in the lap of luxury!
The Bible tells us that one day there will be a feast…A festival thrown by Jesus as the host and attended by His followers.  There will be a celebration of Christ the groom becoming one with His bride, the Church. The Apostle John got a glimpse of this when he wrote in Revelation 19:

6Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

‘Hallelujah!
    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
    was given her to wear.’

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

9 Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’

I don’t know what this feast will look like but it will be majestic.  I don’t know what kind of food there will be but I am sure it will be plenteous and delicious.  I don’t know exactly when it will begin but it will likely go on for all eternity.  I don’t know how God will do crowd management and parking but I’m sure it won’t be an issue.  However, I do know one thing:  There will be no discrimination between the wealthy and the poor, between the privileged and the commoner.  There will not be a separation between the “have’s” and “have nots”.  Nobody is going to envy anyone else; Nobody is going to look down their noses at anyone else.  We will  all be the same and seen as the same. with no class distinctions, socio-economic inequalities, prejudices or separation. There will not be any special sections, special seating or special tickets.  Heaven will not have first class and coach sections. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians:

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26 – 28)

We are guest of Jesus, not because of what we have or can produce but because of who He is and what He has done.  Faith alone is our ticket.  As in the church there is no room for discrimination, racism or sexism , in heaven there will be no distinction of privilege among us because we will all be one in Christ.  We will all feast together.  We will sit in each other’s company with full access to Jesus the groom.  Together, each one will all be sitting in the lap of luxury.
 What do you think?
How does it make you feel?
Shalom,
Steven
Note:  I am actually interested in hearing what you think and feel.  Your responses are appreciated.  And they are private.  So feel free to respond with your thoughts and your own reflections to