Monday, October 12, 2026
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
7 “The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey, 9 a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. 10 You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.
11 “Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes that I am commanding you today. 12 When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them 13 and when your herds and flocks have multiplied and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock. 16 He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you and in the end to do you good. 17 Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.”
When you daydream about heaven, what does it look like? If you’re like me, perhaps something very similar to Old Testament imagery of texts like this from Deuteronomy come to mind. Flowing streams, underground springs, a harvest of plenty, wheat and barley, vines, fig trees and pomegranates, olive oil and honey. How blissful!
Whenever people ask me what heaven looks like, my answer is always the same. It looks like whatever brings you comfort and hope. Meaning, what heaven looks like from one person to another isn’t exactly the same. That is a very beautiful thing if you ask me.
In our second week of discussing Community as a part of our series “In Sioux Falls as in Heaven”, we look more closely at how we Share in our Joys and Sorrows. Sharing in Joys and Sorrows is one thing to do alone, but a whole other thing to do in community. As Christians, we rally together around the cross, in joy and in sorrow, proclaiming our trust that God has called us there and will be with us through it all.
Certainly, the image of heaven that brings us the most comfort in this life looks A LOT better than our sorrows, but that means it must look better than our greatest joys too. Can you imagine?!
– Pr. Kyle
God of all comfort, bring hope and healing to those suffering today. Guide them in their search for joy so that as they dream about heaven, they may see you first, face to face. Amen.