Eastertide

May 13, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Revelation 21:1-6

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

The book of Revelation begins and ends with the statement above, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Revelation 1:8 adds the phrase who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. The future is ours through Christ. His hope eternal is that we realize the wonder and grace of that and make the most of it. But how do we measure “the most.” Our world seems to value the most power and money. Neither ever seemed important to Jesus when he interned on earth. He possessed ultimate power but used it sparingly usually to help others, probably meant to set an example for us. He paid his taxes out of money taken from the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:27) and recognized the separation of church and state by saying ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ (Matthew 22.1-21b) Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple (Matthew 21:12) and was betrayed by the price of 30 pieces of silver. (Matthew 26:15) The other gospels share the same or similar stories.

Jesus measured” the most” in faith, hope, and love. His relationship with God fed the hope and love he gifted to us. We seem to be at a crossroads in our world today. Are we going to grow in worshipping power and money or are we going to ascend to greater heights through faith, hope, and love?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift Jesus and the example he set for us. Help us to attain his higher ground. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.