This morning, I am on my way to the beautiful Mackinac Island to speak at a women’s conference all week. The air is brisk with smells of Fall. The leaves are turning stunning colors and the heat of summer seems far away. It’s all so breathtaking and such a reminder of God’s creativity. I smile, remembering an evening that gave me another, very different glimpse of God’s creation.

Friends of mine invited my husband and I for a weekend in Annapolis to see Peter White, Gerald Albright and Rick Braun play live. What an amazing evening of jazz that turned out to be. The musicians were fabulous, the heat above 100, and the air conditioning in the place struggled to keep us all from profusely sweating. But no one cared. We were so taken by the music, the conditions didn’t matter. People were mesmerized by the level of talent displayed on the stage. Despite the intense heat, everyone smiled, sang with abandoned and even danced the final number. The evening was appropriately billed as, The Jazz Attack.”

As I sat there and observed the multicultural group that assembled to enjoy these master musicians, I wondered, “Is this a taste of heaven?” If there is a jazz section of worship in heaven, I’d like to put in my reservation now. Something about jazz music makes people smile and relax. For a few hours, we all forgot about the stress of life and immersed ourselves in the music.

In moments like these, we get a glimpse of the incredible talent given by God. And one day, when all that talent is directed in worship towards the One who created it, what a party that will be. The  joy will be like no other joy.  We will simply do what the Westminster Confession reminds us to do, “Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” In the meantime, look for those moments when the beauty of God’s creation is so evident, you sit in amazement. It’s a taste of what is to come.