The 1984 movie “Places in the Heart” ends with a wonderful image of heaven.
The movie is set in a small town in Texas in 1935, in the middle of the Great Depression. It begins with the accidental killing of Sheriff Royce Spalding, a good man with a wife and two children. Royce is accidently shot by Wylie, a drunk Black teenager who thought his revolver was empty. Wylie had no intention of killing Royce, but he was drunk, he was black, and this was the South almost one hundred years ago. There was no arrest, trial, or extenuating circumstances argued by a lawyer. Wylie was brutally murdered by a white mob, who dragged the body through town, and then left it hanging from a tree. Royce and Wylie were buried on the same day.
It is a shocking beginning to a film that goes on to tell a gentle, faith-filled story about how the sheriff’s widow Edna (Sally Field) struggles to survive, save her farm, and feed her children. There are good and bad people. There are people who help Edna, and there are people willing to cheat a widow on the brink of poverty. There is an additional story line of infidelity and forgiveness. There is success and tragedy, joy and sadness. There is kindness, cruelty, prejudice, hatred, love, and betrayal. There is sin and salvation, faith and prayer.
The last scene of the movie is in a church. The preacher reads from I Corinthians 13 about love, the choir sings “In the Garden,” and Holy Communion is being received by the congregation. One by one, everyone from the story is there—the saints and the sinners, the oppressors and the oppressed, the kind and the wicked. Why are they all in church together? Then, an even bigger surprise: there is the Black hired man (Danny Glover) who helped the widow and her children. Didn’t he have to leave town or be killed? And besides, how did he get into that all-white church? Then, an even bigger surprise. There is Royce, the sheriff, alive and well; and sitting right next to him is Wylie, who shot him. The movie begins with one of the men killing the other, and ends with the two of them receiving Holy Communion together.
Holy Communion has been called a “foretaste of the feast to come” in the next life; and we realize we just had a vision of heaven. Faith in God filled the movie, and now we see the fulfillment of that faith– that wonderful reunion in heaven, where the dead are raised, our sins have been washed away, and all relationships have been healed.
Watch the closing scene here:
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A couple weeks ago (See: Emailmeditation #3050) I posted a wonderful song by TobyMac. He wrote “Faithfully” after his son died in 2019. This year, he wrote “Heaven on My Mind.” The official video that goes with the song creates an image similar to the above scene from “Places in the Heart.” The video begins in a café, portraying a common setting from day-to-day life on earth. Then, we move out of the café, and out of this world and this life, to where the dead are alive again, and there are several joyful reunions. It is creative and wonderful and powerful, along with a great song.
Don’t miss this one:
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We do look forward to seeing our loved ones in heaven, but most of us don’t even know yet that the most important, most satisfying, most fulfilling, and most thrilling reunion in heaven will be when we see Jesus, in whom we have believed but have not yet seen. We aren’t even aware of it, but all our deepest longings are for Him, and all of our deepest hopes will be fulfilled when we see Him. Our hoped for reunion with loved ones, as wonderful as that will be, will pale in comparison; but we will have that too. Believe in Jesus and you will be there.
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1 Peter 1:8 — Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Hebrews 11:1 — Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
John 20:29 — Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
I Thessalonians 4:13-18 — Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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Father, I am only human. I need the touch of human companionship. Sorely I miss those I love who are with You. Help me to know how close my loved ones are; for if they are with You and You are with me, I know that they cannot be far away. Give to me faith that can shine through my tears. Plant peace and hope within my heart. Point me with joy to the great reunion. In the Name of Him who is the Lord of Life, I pray. Amen.
Peter Marshall (1902-1949) Scottish-American preacher
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O Lord our God, from whom neither life nor death can separate those who trust in your love, and whose love holds in its embrace your children in this world and the next; so unite us to yourself that in fellowship with you we may be always united to our loved ones, whether here or there; through him who died and was buried and rose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
William Temple (1881-1944) Archbishop of Canterbury
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Heaven on My Mind, by TobyMac, 2025
I can hear the birds singin’
Their song is in my head
It goes, doo-doo-doo-doo-doo
And the scene’s already set
I can see the skies open
Them windows comin’ down
My heart’s on things above
While keepin’ two feet on the ground
And all I know
Ain’t no way this place is my home
I’ve got heaven on my mind
I’ve got people waitin’ by
Close my eyes and I can see
Dancin’ on them golden streets
Got me dreamin’ of the day
Never leave, we get to stay
‘Til I see that welcome sign
I ain’t even gonna lie (lie, lie)
Life ain’t bad down here, but I’ve got heaven on my mind, on my mind
I’ve got heaven on my mind (mind, mind)
Well, I find myself daydreamin’ like never before
There’s joy and pain, like sun and rain
Through every open door (open door)
This life is like a vapor
But we’ve got every day
To live and love
Eyes always up
‘Cause all I know
Ain’t no way this place is my home
I’ve got heaven on my mind
When this world’s behind me and my days are all through
You try and find me, I’ll try and find you
When this world’s behind me and we see it’s all true
You’ll know where to find me, I know that I’ll find you
In heaven (heaven)
I’ll come and find you in heaven (heaven)
Yeah, I’ve got heaven on my mind.
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