(Freecovers.org)
I don't want it.
The Hold Steady's new album, to be released May 4th, is entitled 'Heaven Is Whenever'. Thinking about that title, if heaven is whenever, it is right in this moment, it is in the past (like the Holocaust), it is in death and suffering and injustice.
However, I don't think heaven IS in those things because I don't think heaven is not just a synonym for happiness. I can't hope in a heaven if it looks just like the messed up earth now. I don't want to hope in a God that can't set things right.
I believe heaven is beyond a feeling, it is a place. It is a real place. It is a city. It is a city of the future, a city to come. It is a lasting city, an eternal city. It is a place without tears and sadness. It is a place of feasting. It is a place of complete and FULL JOY, because it is the place where Jesus is and always will be, with his people. It is a place where there is no sun, because the Son shines his light on the people!
Heaven is a reality, not a nonchalant phrase. Happiness is a passing feeling, dependent on circumstance. Not the same thing.
When Finn talks about the album, I get more excited. He says the album is about "embracing suffering and understanding its place in a joyful life. The lyrics speak a lot about struggle and reward."
I totally dig that. But the reward is to come. Suffering is here and now, but it won't exist forever. And that is a reality to look forward to.
