"Hi fellas!"
"Jesus!" the three shouted in unison. Two of the men threw their golden crowns at his feet and bowed. The third threw himself to the ground. Jesus smiled and lifted him to his feet.
"Humph!" one of the others said, a twinkle in his eye, "Even up here you have to show off."
"Look, John, prostrating yourself before Jesus is hardly showing off."
"True," Jesus said, "and even up here your brother has to make jokes, Gary."
"I know," Gary replied, "I just thought that in Paradise they'd be funny." John groaned, enjoying the banter. This was Heaven, after all, and there was never any doubt that such teasings were full of love. Suddenly, the third man, Albert, interrupted.
"They're starting." All eyes turned earthward and focused on a gathering of people below. To earthly eyes, it was a simple funeral -- friends and family gathered to bid farewell to a loved one. The observers in Heaven, of course, saw much more. They saw the mourners and sensed their sorrows, hurts and fears. They also saw the various guardian angels, keeping watch through the solemn ceremony, guarding from the simple dangers that faced people even at a time like this. Most importantly, they saw the Spirit Himself moving amongst the people, offering comfort and fanning the fires of faith -- even those that untransformed humans might think had gone out.
The service started with a hymn and the three started singing along. This was the reason for their gathering. The people below had gathered to bid farewell to Gary. Albert, John and Gary himself had gathered to stand with the mourners. (The heavenly welcoming of Gary had happened a few days earlier, when he had died. In a sense, this could have been considered an echo of that celebration.) It was part nostalgia, part witness to the unity between the believers in Heaven and on Earth. And Jesus, of course, stood with both groups, enjoying their company.
"That's nice singing," Jesus said as the hymn ended. Jesus had the knack of speaking at just the right time, so that His words never interrupted or distracted, but rather enhanced the experience.
"Of course," John replied, "You're the one who gifted the family with a love of music. I've always enjoyed it when they belt it out."
"I meant you three, John," Jesus said.
"Thank you, Lord," John said, blushing. Gary and Albert laughed. Down on Earth, the service progressed to a scripture reading. The observers above could see the lights of the people's faith as they responded to the Word of God.
"It's like a Christmas tree," Albert said, giving voice to the men's awe. The other two nodded.
"It could be brighter, though," Gary added.
"Be patient," Jesus replied, "I'm not finished with them yet." Below, the congregation was seated and a young woman, Gary's daughter, stepped forward. She started playing with a cold fire in her eyes and her jaw set a little too tightly. But the Spirit had encircled her even before she had stepped forward. To heavenly eyes she appeared to be almost floating in a bright cloud.
"She's determined not to cry," Gary said a bit wistfully. (or as near to wistfully as one can get in Heaven)
"She won't," Jesus said, "It was a request I couldn't deny her."
"Hey, she's playing 'Oh That I Had a Thousand Voices!'" John exclaimed, "Now I know why Albert wanted to watch with us."
"Of course," Albert replied, "Gary sang that song at my funeral and you liked it so much that you asked him to sing it at yours."
"And now we can both sing it at his!" John gave a quick laugh. "But why isn't she joining in?"
"Well, when we talked about it the other week," Gary replied, "she said that she didn't want to sing it aloud. She said if I wasn't there to sing it than it shouldn't be sung."
"As if death could shut you up," John quipped. Gary shook his head.
"You would think that this one time the child would listen..."
"Stubbornness, too, is my gift," Jesus said calmly, "I accept her method of praise just as I had accepted yours." The three stood silent, listening and watching the spectacle below. As the music below built in a crescendo, Albert began to whistle along. The bright, clear sound pierced the heavenly sky. John joined in, a low hum to accompany the tune in its flight. Gary took a deep breath and started to sing the words that resonated in the hearts below but remained unspoken. With a voice clearer and louder than it had ever been on Earth, he belted out the song. Albert and John soon joined him in singing, as did others round about. By the time they reached the final verse, an impromptu choir had formed, singing and dancing before their Lord.
"O Father, deign Thou, I beseech Thee,A bit later, down on earth, the funeral had ended, the body had been laid to rest and the people gathered to eat and share the comfort of friends and family. Up in Heaven, three pairs of eyes turned from the spectacle of light among the darkness to the ever changing spectacle of light among the Light. (Jesus, of course, would never turn His eyes from those below, nor did He need to.)
To listen to my earthly lays;
A nobler strain in heaven shall reach Thee,
When I with angels hymn thy praise
And learn amid their choirs to sing
Loud hallelujahs to my King."
"I never knew that song had so many verses," Gary said.
"Songs tend to grow up here," John said, "I think we added two verses to that one today."
"Does this happen often?"
"Brother, you don't know the half of it."
"Child," Jesus said, "You are not one to talk. There's a multitude of wonders that you have yet to see."
"So what are we waiting for?" John smirked. Albert and Gary smiled. Jesus did too, and turned to stroll along the streets of gold. The three men followed, and Albert started whistling a tune...