Tag Archives: End Times

All Things New

Eastertide

May 17, 2019

Scripture Reading: Revelation 21:1-6

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. –Revelation 21:5-6

I have never experienced the devastation of total disaster that happens like the level 5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma twenty years ago. The only thing left of many homes was the concrete foundation. Overhead pictures of the scene made it look spotlessly clean with those foundation slabs lined up in rows. Some victims of this storm lost their lives, some lost their livelihoods. Others were seriously injured. Those owners of foundations lost their homes and all its contents. All had to begin anew.

We need to think seriously about how much we want all things to be made new. Are we ready for the lamb to lie down with the lion? Do we long for all people to have enough—food, clothing, shelter, love, opportunity—to become fully the people God created them to be? Do we want to live among people who have no concept of greed or lust for power? Can we accept our worth as being established fully by the love of God with no comparison to any other? Until we grow into God’s love and let go of idols of our own making, we are not ready for all things to be made new.

We sing about it at Christmas time as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but the hymn, O come, O come Emmanuel* looks forward to the day when all things are made new. Are we ready for that?

Prayer:
O come desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Chorus:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!*, Amen.

*Seventh verse of O come, O come Emmanuel with Chorus by Latin hymn, 12th century, translated by John Neale, 1852 see at http://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/hymn/ocomeoco.html

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.

Fresh Figs

Advent
December 2, 2017

Scripture Reading: Mark 13:24-37

‘But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
   and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from heaven,
   and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. –Mark 13:24-31

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of traveling throughout Turkey seeing many of the sights one reads about in Paul’s writings. Small though it may seem, one of the highlights of my trip was eating a fresh fig shortly after plucking it from its tree. The tour bus on which I traveled stopped at a roadside fruit and vegetable stand where our guide bought enough fresh figs for all passengers who wanted one. Figs are not harvested in the USA in abundance at least not near my home so fresh figs are hard to come by here. The fruit was delicious. While I also love dried figs, they do not compare to the fresh ones.

In the USA I experience the same taste of freshness with corn freshly harvested and served. Tomatoes also taste best immediately after plucking them from their plant, dusting any dirt off on your clothing, and eating them immediately in the garden. I grew up on a farm, and anyone in my family will readily tell you I was work aversive to gardening, but I am an expert at eating prime food.

Our scripture today is eschatological as it talks about the ultimate end times. I, however, think this scripture encourages us to look at the world freshly through the seasons of life as we wait and prepare for the great coming of Christ. I tend to think he would be pleasantly pleased to arrive and find the harvest done so he can immediately join us for his great love feast.

Prayer: Lord, enable our work toward the fruition of your love ruling the world. 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.