Citizens

 Sam arrived home yesterday teatime in good spirits and happened to mention his forthcoming trip to see Josh in Edinburgh next weekend.  Keith asked him if he would need a lift to the airport.  No, says Sam, Im getting the airport bus cos Im flying from Dublin - its cheaper.  What about your passport, asks Keith, remembering that the last time Sam went somewhere there was a panic cos his passport was out of date.  Do I need a passport to go to Edinburgh, says Sam.   Yes, if you fly from Dublin, says Keith.  There followed two hours of frantically trying to book a fast track appointment with the Belfast Passport office ( no slots available until after the date he was booked to fly!) .  After a stressful while trying to negotiate the online booking system we managed to get him an appointment for Friday 
morning ( he flies on Sat)  Then we realised he has to take his old passport with him - and it has disappeared!  Cue an hour of frantic searching and lots of despairing ( Sam) and praying ( me).  Finally the old expired passport is found - much rejoicing - and it looks as though Sam's proverbial bacon has been saved and his trip can go ahead. Let's hope he is issued with a new passport on Friday and the whole sorry incident can be forgotten.

This fuss over passports made me think of the issue of citizenship.  Its at the forefront of all our minds at the moment isnt it - this notion that we belong somewhere.  We have a country and a national identity and a culture which cant just be subsumed by another one.  We have the right to be citizens of our country of birth and of our country of choice should we decide to move elsewhere.  Im British.  I couldnt be Mexican or Polish or Danish if I tried.  But more importantly Im a citizen of heaven. I have a passport which gives me permission to live there. I speak the language of heaven, I know its customs and traditions and songs.  I belong there. But for now Im living here.  

Ukranians ( and many other displaced peoples in the world) have suddenly re-discovered the value of their citizenship as their way of life and homeland has come under attack.  Six weeks ago most probably wouldnt have rallied round their flag or cried on hearing their national anthem........but now....now their sense of national pride and Ukranian citizenship has become paramount.  They are prepared to lay down their lives to defend their right to be Ukranian and not Russian.   I wonder if I feel as passionately about my citizenship of heaven?  I wonder if it will take some level of persecution ( and let's face it, we have been warned that it is coming) before my passion starts to rise.  I hope that if my faith comes under attack and my citizenship of heaven is threatened then I will rise to the challenge of doing whatever it takes to stay true to Jesus.

I hope that the pictures we are seeing on our television screens at the moment are not prophetic of what is coming ( or is perhaps already here ) in spiritual realms . But if they are, then we can only trust that we will be given the resolve and courage and vision that our Eastern European brothers have been given over these past two weeks.