Saturday, November 19, 2022

 

Saturday, November 19, 2022


Psalm 45

Zechariah 13

Revelation 10


On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.


What we have been reading in Revelation ever since we finished the letters of Jesus, and what has been happening all through Zechariah, has been around matters concerning what is called eschatology. Eschatology is the word used to describe anything related to the end times. What is fascinating about our Christian eschatology is that it sits in a funny place chronologically.


While we can state with absolute certainty that there will be a day in which the Lord Jesus returns, evil is destroyed once and for all, and we enter into the new creation, much of how this is described in the Bible could also apply to the first Easter. That is, our eschatology is both now, and not yet.


The story of this world does have a happy ending. But we don’t have to wait for that unknown point in the future to experience it. Our knight in shining armour already saved us when He hung on that cross and left the empty tomb behind Him, two thousand years ago. The glorious victory described in the pages of the prophets and Revelation began when Jesus died for our sins and rose again.


This is such an optimistic vision for the future that God has given us. We are not huddled in a bunker, hearing through crumbling concrete walls the explosions and rumbling of the enemy advance. No, we are dancing through the streets, rebuilding a society better than it was in the pre-war years.


When the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts, points us to Jesus, and we run to Him as His new creation, we have stepped into the next age. There is still a bit of work to do, yes. Perfection doesn’t exist this side of eternity. But it is not a struggle out of the sticky mud. Rather, it is more like beginning our baby steps as we grow into the perfect people God is raising us to be.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, September 12, 2022

  Monday, September 12, 2022 Psalm 33 Habakkuk 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:1-14 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. The lectionary has taken us from the beloved disciple to one of the most beloved of Paul's epistles: Ephesians. Paul must have loved this church very much: we get a sense of his fondness for them and their shared sense of purpose and worship just from the introduction. In what is likely just an introduction to a letter in the style of the ancient Roman world, Paul has managed to squeeze in the entire, wondrous story of God's work of redemption. Paul has framed it the way it ought to be framed: in a pastoral, encouraging tone. He has three main points here (remember, Paul proceeds logically to build up an argument, unlike John who circles around his main point). First: God intended to save us before the world was formed. Think back to the first l
Read more

“Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.”

  Monday, September 11, 2023 Psalms 28; 29 1 Kings 7:51-8:21 Acts 26:19-32 Observance: Deiniol, bishop (d. 384) “ Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.” The great many blessings of being under the protection of the blood of the Lamb fill our hearts with joy and peace. To have the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who sits above the flood, filling the temple of our being with the cloud of His presence is what it truly means to be human. Every day is filled with adventure; every night turns to the rest of the victor. Certainly there are chains: sometimes they are physical chains, the suffering of being a Christian among people who do not love the Lord. Sometimes they are spiritual; the attacks of the powers of the air who try to distract us from the One we love. But they always fall away. Our Rock of Ages always frees us; always brings us out of the pit of despair. A won
Read more

Monday, September 19

  Monday, September 19 Psalm 45 Nahum 1:15-2:9 Ephesians 4:17-28 ...be renewed in the spirit of your minds... It is far too easy to read some of these Pauline lists of virtues and vices and feel like we have gone back to the dark days before the Reformation. The idea that if we behave ourselves then we can call ourselves “good people” is pagan, not Christian. Paul feels very strongly about how Christians behave, he “affirms and insists” upon it. But it is because of what has already happened that we should mind our step, not because of where we are going. Christ's resurrection is many things, but one aspect relevant for Paul's teaching this morning is that it demonstrates to us the radical new reality in which we now live. We too have passed (spiritually) from death to life; therefore, we experience a “renewal of our minds”. Instead of treading water until we die, we live lives. Everything now makes sense: God has spoken, so we have logic. God made us in His im
Read more