Pastor Rick: Joy and I were in the checkout line at the store. I do NOT like waiting in line.

DING!

Loudspeaker: Register number five is available!

Pastor Rick: The lady in front of us didn't move. She just kept talking on her phone.

Lady: …and then SHE said…

Pastor Rick: Finally she turned around to the whole line, kicked her leg out, and said…

Joy (acting it out): Hee hee! I'm multitasking!

Pastor Rick: Multitasking means doing two things at once. She was barely tasking!

Eli: Barely tasking! I'm using that on my sister.

A Tour of Heaven, Stop 5.

Pastor Rick: Whether you're a barely-tasker or a multitasker, Jesus has an invitation for you. This stop talks about some hard things. So let's start where Jesus started.

Stop 1: Come to Me.

Jesus: Come to me, all you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 (NIrV)

Sam: What if you're tired on the inside? Like, worried?

Pastor Rick: That's exactly who Jesus was talking to. He says, "Come to me. I'll help you carry it."

Pastor Rick: Jesus spent three years showing his arms were open. He welcomed kids. He ate with people nobody liked. He even did his very first miracle at a wedding, just to keep the party going.

Baxter: When Pastor Rick's whole family visits, there are ten people and FOUR dogs in the house. It's loud and crowded and my favorite. Jesus liked a happy crowd too!

Pastor Rick: Then Jesus will separate them into two groups, the way a shepherd separates sheep from goats.

Pastor Rick: I owned goats once. Stinkiest, nastiest animals I ever had.

MEHHH!

Eli: Wait, so some people are GOATS?

Pastor Rick: Jesus isn't calling anyone a goat! He's using a picture everyone back then understood. Shepherds separated their animals all the time.

Jesus: Come!

Pastor Rick: To the people on his right, Jesus will say "Come!" They'll go into the amazing kingdom he prepared for them.

Pastor Rick: To the people on his left, he'll say "Depart," which means "go away." They'll be separated from God forever. Two groups. One way or the other.

Sam: What about babies? And little kids who are too young to choose?

Pastor Rick: I believe with all my heart that a child who dies before they're old enough to choose is safe with Jesus. He loves children.

Stop 3: How Can You Tell?

Maya: So how does Jesus decide? Is it about doing enough good stuff?

Baxter: Nope! Remember our very first stop? You can't earn it!

Pastor Rick: Right. What decides forever is whether you've chosen to follow Jesus. But Jesus said something interesting about the people on his right. They fed hungry people. They welcomed strangers. They visited people who were sick. And Jesus said whatever they did for people in need, they did for HIM.

Pastor Rick: When Jesus lives in your heart, your life starts to look like his.

Stop 4: Which Word Will You Hear?

Pastor Rick: Jesus said his return will be like the days of Noah. People were busy with their own stuff. They never looked up. Then the flood came.

Pastor Rick: I call it living in a three-foot world: only paying attention to what's right in front of you.

Eli: Hey! …Okay, fair.

Pastor Rick: Jesus wants you to look up.

Jesus: Come to me.

Pastor Rick: When Jesus comes back, which word will you hear, "Come" or "Depart"? He's already saying "Come" to you right now.

Baxter: "Come!" is my favorite word. Usually it means a treat. When Jesus says it, it means forever with him!