The Party in Heaven

By: Wendy Duckworth Vance

Dear reader, perhaps you will approach this article with some trepidation, concern that you may be diving into an article which will assault you with a bombardment of political ideas that seek to convince you that one party or other are the messengers or enforcer of God’s will on Earth.  Well, let me assuage your fears, this article is in no way a political treatise or campaign of propaganda for a political party.  To do so, I would first have to be convinced that any political party is the messenger of God’s will on Earth.  This is most definitely not the case, as I have firmly been dissuaded from this notion for quite some time. For me, I see in our current political system a modern-day version of the Sanhedrin comprised of Sadducees and Pharisees who care little for the will of God or for the care of the people of this country or on this Earth in general. I believe it is likely that these same individuals who claim to be God’s representatives would spit upon and crucify Yeshua (Jesus) were He to walk amongst us in our current day.  Their mission is to seek personal power, self-aggrandizement, wealth, and fame at any cost without regard to the needs of or the harm that may come to anyone else.  They dance about on stage praising themselves and declaring their own righteousness due to one position or another that they hold on various issues while demonizing their opponents, trying to score political points for future elections so that they may retain their power and control.  Rather than seeing them as messengers or enforcers of God’s will, I hear the words of Yeshua as he called out the leaders of the time in which He walked among us as God incarnate, “hypocrites and whitewash tombs” (Matthew 23). Just as it was then, those who were chosen to lead and to care for the people (both political and in some cases spiritual) betray the people and God to seek glorification for themselves.  So no, this article is not a treatise of glorifying any political party or assigning righteousness based on the party letter behind an individual’s name.  So if it is not a political party, which will be the party in Heaven, who or what is the party in Heaven?

To answer this question, let us look at the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. In the story, Yeshua reveals to us not only our nature as rebellious children but also His reaction when we realize our waywardness and seek to turn from rebellion to repentance.  In the story, the son realizes that he has squandered his life, chasing things and sensations of no lasting value that bring no long-term fulfillment.  While the story speaks specifically of earthly hunger to fill one’s belly with food, the meaning is much deeper than physical food.  Yes, it is true, many (if not most) times taking paths outside of God’s will leads to physical hunger and hardship, more importantly, however, they lead us to a place of spiritual destitution that leaves a cavern of despair within our souls that nothing on this Earth can satisfy. This is the place in which we find the prodigal - desperation.  He finds himself not only relegated to the anathema of feeding an animal that God declared an unclean abomination but wishing to eat the food of these detestable beasts - anything to fill the emptiness.  Then one day, his eyes are opened, and he truly sees the depths of the pit into which he has cast his life. In that moment, he realizes that he will never find satisfaction within the muddy depths of his self-imposed pit.  As this understanding dawns, he awakens to the realization that he can only find relief and satisfaction within his father’s territory.  Even if he is relegated to the most humble quarters and job available, it would be as if he were living as a king compared to his current circumstances.  So he resolves to humble himself, throw himself at his father’s feet, and beg his father’s forgiveness for the squandering of his great gifts and love. He chooses to accept his father’s leadership.  Like the prodigal, we can choose to stay on the path that leads to desperation, or we can choose the path that leads to the kingdom, throwing ourselves on our heavenly Father’s love and mercy.  We can choose to love Him because he first loved us and gave all for our redemption.

But there is another side to the story that answers the question of the party in Heaven. The other side of the story is the father’s response to the prodigal. Upon seeing his son restored to him alive, for he was as good as dead, he does not yell, he does not reprimand, he does not berate or beat his son; instead, he embraces him.  He calls for a celebration of rejoicing for this lost son. It is a grand party filled with feasting, likely accompanied by music and dancing.  In the father’s great and unimaginable joy restores the son to his place within the family and fills his every need.   Though this is an illustration, the point is that if an earthly father would so grandly celebrate and restore his lost son who chose to put away his foolish ways, humble himself and return to the fold how much more must the celebration be in Heaven when we bow at the throne Creater of Heaven and Earth, our Father, who became the sacrifice, the bridge from the pit to realm of Heaven.  No, the party in Heaven is not a political one, but rather a party to celebrate the homecoming of the prodigal who returns and falls at the feet of the Father, repenting of misdeeds, seeking atonement and forgiveness, seeking only the most humble accommodations if only to be in His presence and be fed with the crumbs that fall from his table.  The party in Heaven is the celebration of the prodigal child who has come home.