Graham Kendrick wanted the gathered to feel something, and respond. That, simply put, was how Graham could imagine people answering, by saying “Heaven Is In My Heart”, when prompted to explain why they were marching in a parade-like atmosphere. While Kendrick certainly understood what God on earth was saying when a group of learned people asked him to describe His kingdom, Graham didn’t really envision the same thing as Jesus did when He answered. Graham wanted people to make the kingdom visible, an exuberant expression that would demonstrate something to the world. He and others might have started with a vision for how this would look in Britain, but it didn’t stop there. And, it certainly didn’t remain confined inside each person, as someone might conclude when reading the Master’s words.
"Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17: 20-21, New International Version). Now, when Graham Kendrick read those words, he might have easily said that we cannot say what the kingdom looks like, and we’re not going to contradict the Lord. Instead, as Graham and others talked about their joint venture called March for Jesus, they felt that those participating should exhibit something – an expression in one’s words that testify to what is going on inside. If someone knew he or she was made for eternity with Him, how would that look and sound? In short, Graham wanted onlookers to see an unquenchable joy among people singing ‘Heaven Is In My Heart’, as they marched and unashamedly told the world what He does right now, and plans to do in the future. Graham says that while it’s part of the ‘kingdom is now and not yet’ explanation that Jesus told followers more than two millennia ago, the message that he’s conveying focuses on an outgrowth from the ‘not yet’ part – that we have hope, even as we live in the ‘not yet’ time. The organizers of March for Jesus, which was first planned in London in 1987, thought believers from various denominations could fix their attention, and of those watching, on Jesus. He is Lord, and will come to take us home – unquestionably the greatest source of an ‘Amen’ in the believer’s life. The thoughts of his majesty and holiness (v.1); his all-powerful sacrifice that purchases certain redemption for all (v.2); and the presence of Him in us now and for all times (v.3), are enough to make Graham’s song’s title words leap from the spirit of the worshipper in every other line of the song. Because of the way Graham’s song words flow, heaven is unambiguously a place of never-ending ecstasy. Who couldn’t march for that!
After London, the March for Jesus took off in many other places, and is continuing to spread and be celebrated today. It stretched across the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, and to Brazil, where millions took part in 1993. There’s March for Jesus times scheduled for the United States in all 50 states and more in 2022, according to the website for the event. But, you and I don’t need to wait until next year to do what Graham Kendrick has given us opportunity to do already, today. Let it show in my words, in my attitude, in my behavior, and on my face. Graham and the others who organized the first march must have thought that what we have is too wonderful to keep to ourselves. Eternity, now and in the next phase of existence, is big and beautiful, with our God present to crown our faith. What could be better!
See here for author biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Kendrick
See here for the song’s brief story: https://www.grahamkendrick.co.uk/stories-behind-the-songs/stories-behind-the-song/heaven-is-in-my-heart
Here is the description of the event for which the song was developed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_for_Jesus
See the official site of the event that the author and others organize across the world: https://themarchforjesus.org/
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