Sermon Title: Beauty and the Beast
Scripture: Revelation 17:1-6 (ESV)

Coming Soon!

Sermon Title: The High Cost of Rebellion
Scripture: Revelation 15-16 (ESV)
Since the beginning of John’s Revelation, we’ve been given glimpses into the heavenly throne room and into the days before heaven and earth become finally one. Most recently, chapters 12-14 revealed the seven histories that explored the themes of God’s glory and God’s judgment. Today chapter 15 reveals another moment of Glory before chapter 16 and the seven golden bowls of wrath (15:7) add details to the judgment theme. Each of these, and all of them together, bring us ever closer to the New Jerusalem we long for in chapters 21 and 22. People of God: “Be anxious for nothing” for “the Lord is near” and “he is coming soon” (Phil 4:4-5 and Rev 22:20).

John begins chapter 15 saying, “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished” (15:1). With this – another great and amazing vision – we are coming to the end! The beast has been conquered (15:2) and the conquerors are “standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses . . . and the song of the Lamb” (15:2-3). In chapter 14, those who had God’s name written on their foreheads were singing a new song that no one could learn except the redeemed in heaven (14:1-3). Now John reveals the complete lyrics of the song ringing out in heaven. It is a hymn of praise and a song of worship to our holy God and the Lamb of righteousness.


Enter the seven angels with their seven bowls of God’s wrath. Reading chapter 16 and envisioning the seven bowls of wrath being poured out on those who have rejected the Living God and received the Dragon and the Beast, is difficult and the stuff of bad horror movies. But these final judgments need to be reframed for us.

God’s fierce wrath is poured out because of God’s unshakable and steadfast love. God’s judgments, fierce and frightening to imagine, are evidence of God’s remarkable and magnificent mercy.

Remember the martyrs who are beneath the altar? Back in Revelation 6 when the seven seals were opened, John tells us that when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, John saw “under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” (6:9-10). Each one was given “a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants” should be complete (6:11). “Rest a little longer, dear children of God. God’s justice is coming soon.” In chapter 16, with the pouring out of the seven bowls of God’s wrath, these martyrs are avenged and the judgment of God is complete. With the pouring out of the third bowl of God’s wrath, the angel cries: “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were; for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve” (16:5-6).

Then “the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’” (16:17). All rebellion against the goodness and the righteousness of God that began in the Garden and continued throughout salvation history, has been finally and completely judged with holy justice. The mercy of God, made available through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ the Lamb, was rejected by the rebellious and they are judged. It is finished!

God’s wrath is an expression of his love. God’s justice and his fearful judgments declare what has been known from the beginning: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deut 6:4) and “there is none like you among the gods, O Lord.” (Ps 86:8). “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!” (Rev 16:7).

Consider—
╬    We may wonder about the fierceness of God’s wrath; however, his wrath reveals his great love. Remember and rehearse the dimensions of God’s love for you: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ro 8:38-39).

╬    With the name of God written on our hearts and our foreheads, we know that we belong to Him and remain in his care. Remember and rehearse your present and eternal security and safety: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Ro 8:31-32).

╬    Almighty God, you are righteous and holy, just and merciful. Your love knows no end. Lead us on to the day of your final redemption and your great glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Sermon Title: The Final Harvest
Scripture: Revelation 14 (ESV)

 
Scholars sometimes call Revelation 12 through 15 “The Seven Histories.” A lot is going on in these chapters and much of it is difficult to wrap our minds and our hearts around. Chapter 12 tells us of the woman and the baby and the dragon who tries to devour the child and of a mighty battle between Michael and his angels and the “great dragon” (12:9). Chapter 13 reveals more of the dragon’s desperate actions alongside the two beasts who “utter haughty and blasphemous words” (13:5-6) against God and heaven and those who dwell in heaven. They “make war on the saints” (13:7), they deceive the people (13:14), and they declare themselves to be gods so that many on the earth “worship the beast” (13:12). Chapter 14 is in the middle of these seven histories, and it provides us relief from the inexplicable action that is unfolding and from the sobering “final harvest” that is coming soon.

The Apostle John opens Revelation 14 with the words, “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb” (14:1). We are grateful for this relief. As the tensions rise in chapters 12 and 13, as the dragon and his beasts bring evil and destruction to the earth, it is good for our hearts to see the Lamb.

Chapter 14 presents us with a scene of contrasts. The Lamb who stands on Mount Zion contrasts with the Dragon and the Beasts who rage in chapter 13. Let’s notice some of these contrasts and take courage in each one.

At the end of Revelation 13, we learn the sign of the Beast is “the number of a man, and his number is 666” (13:18). This number is written on the foreheads of those who worship the beast. Scholars say that the meaning of the number remains a mystery, but what is clear is that those who worship the beast are enemies of God and are marked by their allegiance. In contrast, standing with the Lamb are those “who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads” (14:1). We belong to Him. We are identified as the Father’s own people purchased by the blood of the Lamb. Secure. Eternally reconciled to God through Christ.

The sounds and the images in these chapters are deafeningly loud and chaotic. “War broke out in heaven” (12:7). “The great dragon was hurled down to the earth, and his angels with him” (12:9) and “the dragon was enraged” (12:17). The second beast “made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast” (13:12) . . . “and it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth” (13:13). The people of the earth “worshiped the dragon. . . , and they also worshiped the beast” (13:4). These are the sounds and sights of evil ravaging the earth and the inhabitants of the earth.

The sights and sounds in chapter 14 are perhaps no less loud and all-encompassing, but they are the sounds of heaven’s throne room. Harpists are playing celestial music while the redeemed of the Lord sing “a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders” (14:2). It is a song that no one on earth can learn. Only the rescued and reconciled people of God who have arrived at their eternal home, sealed with His name on their foreheads, can sing this glorious song. The sound of this harp-accompanied singing is “like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder” (14:2). We’ve heard these descriptions before. In John’s opening chapter, he describes his first vision of the “son of man” (1:12). John heard “a loud voice like a trumpet” and saw the Lord whose “eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters” (1:14-15). Jeremiah saw it clearly long before John. “The Lord made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar” (Jer 10:12-13).

The God of heaven and the Son of Man created the heavens and the earth and they reign with power and authority throughout all eternity. The dragon and the beasts are false gods who rage and roil with anger because God’s judgment is sure and their time is short.

But once more before the final harvest in 14:14-20, the Gospel of God’s mercy is declared. An angel brings “the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. And he said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters” (14:6-7).

Judgment and justice are coming soon. Pray fervently for those who refuse the mercy and grace of God.

Consider—
╬     When we name Jesus as Lord, we belong to Him. We are identified as the Father’s own people purchased by the blood of the Lamb. Secure. Eternally reconciled to God through Christ. Ask God the Spirit to remind you continually. As you remember what Jesus has done, stand firm in His love and righteousness.

╬    Judgment and justice are coming soon. Pray fervently for those who refuse the mercy and grace of God.

╬    Almighty God, thank you for John’s vision of Christ Jesus standing on Mount Zion. Thank you for the roar of many waters that declares the reign and the authority of our God. Thank you for the new song that we will all sing in the new heavens and the new earth. In your mercy, enable our hearts and minds to stand firm in Christ and prepare us to sing the new song in your glorious presence. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Sermon Title: Evil’s Counterfeit Kingdom
Scripture: Revelation 13 (ESV)

“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.” Revelation 13:8
 
The fantastical imagery of Revelation continues in our passage today. In Revelation 13 we learn about three creatures – the dragon, the first beast, and the second beast. These three powerful and evil creatures seek to mirror the Triune God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are counterfeit gods who seek to establish a counterfeit kingdom.

We are told in Revelation 12 that the dragon is Satan. “And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Rev 12:9). At the end of chapter 12, Satan is enraged that God has rescued the woman and the child. So Satan “went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea” (12:17). As Revelation 13 opens, we see the dragon’s strategy for warring against God’s people begins at the sea—the place of chaos. The dragon summons the first beast and John sees him “rising out of the sea” (13:1). And to the first beast, “the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast” (13:2-3).

John writes, “Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon” (13:11). This second beast “exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed” (13:12). This beast is the mouthpiece of the dragon. “It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the [first] beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the [first] beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived” (13:13-14).

Chaos. Deception. Manipulation. Evil. Three counterfeit “gods” seeking to create a counterfeit kingdom. But the “Lamb’s book of life” and “the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world” (13:8) cannot be counterfeited. The dragon and the two Beasts were given power that God allowed. We may ask why these evil deceivers were given any power at all; however, it is God alone who knows the “why” and it is God alone who establishes the limits of this counterfeit trio. Echoing Old Testament prophets, John writes, “Whoever has ears, let them hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed” (13:9-10). With this declaration, John warns, “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people” (13:10).

Even in the face of evil deception and persecution by the enemies of their souls, Christ-followers remember the redemption won for them by Christ alone. They immerse themselves in the Word of God and seek the Spirit of Truth to discern what is righteous and what is counterfeit. The writer of this difficult Revelation is also the writer of the Gospel of John. Remember the Vine of John 15? The branch is enlivened and renewed by the unshakable love and the pruning grace of the Gardener-Father. And the branch is kept eternally safe and secure when he or she remains in perfect dependence upon the sustaining and life-giving Vine. May the Spirit enable and inspire patient endurance and faithfulness for all God’s people.

Consider—
╬   Satan is our enemy every day. But because Christ Jesus is seated on the Kingdom’s throne, there is no need to shrink from Satan’s schemes and deceiving ways. How does the vision of Christ enthroned in glory and the truth revealed in today’s scripture passage, give you courage to face the real deceptions of our Enemy?

╬    Each of us requires help to embrace patient endurance and faithfulness. This help comes first from Christ Jesus by the Spirit. It also comes from the faithful followers of Christ who are in your community. Who do you know who can help you grow in patient endurance and in greater faithfulness? Who do you know who needs help to endure today’s trials and temptations? Pray and respond.

╬    Almighty God, quicken us to become so dependent upon your love that we hunger for your Word. May we live out your truth in such a way that people are drawn to the Light that is Christ Jesus. Lord, you shine in the darkness and the darkness will never overcome the Light. We worship and praise you and ask for your sustaining grace in trial and your courage to stand firm. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Sermon Title: The War Behind Every War
Scripture: Revelation 12 (ESV)

And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. . . . Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.  Revelation 12:4b, 17


In our sermon series on the book of Revelation, last week we came to the very center of the book and the ‘main event’ of Revelation and indeed of all redemptive history – The Kingdom of God coming to earth and Jesus Christ reigning forever and ever! We saw from this that John structured Revelation as a chiasm. This means that the event just before the main event relates similarly to the event just after, which is our text this week (chapter 12).
 
Last week in chapter 11, we saw, symbolically, God protecting His people, His church, and His message of the Gospel as it went out to the ends of the earth empowered by His Spirit. That period (the church age), I believe, was represented by 1,260 days. This week in chapter 12, we again see God, symbolically, protecting the church throughout the entire church age (again, 1,260 days). This time the church (all believers) is symbolized by a woman and her offspring. And, very importantly, this week we see who is behind all of the opposition – Satan (the dragon).

I invite you to read the entire chapter and note the beauty of Jesus and the Gospel and note how Satan/evil responds and is ultimately defeated.

It begins with a grotesque scene of Jesus being born and Satan (the dragon) trying to destroy Him immediately. (Herod is the pawn for this activity in Matthew 2:16.) God protects His Son and ultimately “snatches Him up to His throne” (Rev 12:5). This is the ascension, where Christ sits today “seated at the right hand of the power of God” (Lk 22:69). The other very important detail we learn here is that first of all, Jesus surrendered himself to the cross that “he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb 2:14). Secondly, when that happened Satan was hurled down to earth where he continues to be “the ruler of this world” (Jo 12:31). Even now, and until Christ returns, Satan furiously tries to destroy us, the church, “because he knows that his time is short” (Rev 12:12).

Satan has been defeated “by the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 12:11) and he knows it. Until the day that he is cast into hell forever, he is “furious with the woman and [he makes] war on her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Rev 12:17). Satan is full of rage and is determined to take his anger out on us – he makes war on us. What do we do? Are we helpless against Satan’s schemes?

No! We are harassed but we are never helpless!

“Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (Rev 12:10-11). God possesses the kingdom, the power, and the glory and God has given these to his people “by the blood of the Lamb.”

Consider—
╬   Satan is our enemy every day. Our solution is, of course, found in Christ Jesus and his word. What scriptures have been your confidence and your comfort during the harassing and accusing onslaught of Satan’s schemes? Remember and rehearse “the Word that dwells within you” (Col 3:16). “Clothe yourselves in Christ” (Gal 3:27); put on “the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph 6:10-20).

╬    We are told that Satan is conquered “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” The hope of the Church flourishes by the Savior’s blood and the stories of those whose lives have been transformed from death to life in Christ. What stories will you tell? Who needs to hear your testimony?

╬   Pray with me please –
Our foe has been defeated; He knows his time is short,
And far from being seated In honor in God’s court,
His certain doom is looming Like clouds before a squall,
And blind rage marks his booming Attack upon us all.
But we have overcome him by the blood of God’s own Lamb.
We silence accusations; on Christ’s death we take our stand.
The devil fights with fury, with a cruel and bruising rod.
But we extol the triumph of the Kingdom of our God.
So, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen!

Sermon Title: Your Kingdom Come
Scripture: Revelation 11:15-19; Luke 11:2 (ESV)
 
In our sermon series on the book of Revelation, this week we come to the very center of the book, chapters 10 and 11. Some have said that John structured the Book of Revelation chiastically (a literary structure where the ‘main point’ is centered). This appears to be the case as Revelation 11:15-19 is arguably the ‘main event’ of Revelation and indeed of all redemptive history.

This is the event that Jesus told us to pray for – “And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come’” (Luke 11:2).

Jesus inaugurated this Kingdom when He came to earth the first time. Once, when He cast out some demons, He said, “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt 12:28).

He could have said that after every miracle He performed. Jesus’ miracles not only demonstrated who He is, they also demonstrated what the Kingdom of God is like. In this case, the Kingdom is where there are no more demons. Other miracles fit into the following Kingdom categories – no more disease (countless healings!), no more disaster (“peace be still!” (Mk 4:39), no more death (“Lazarus come out!” (Jn 11:43).

After Jesus accomplished His mission here by dying on the cross for our sins, rising from the tomb on the third day (defeating death), He ascended back to Heaven where He reigns at the right hand of the Father. BUT, opposition still exists. Satan is still the ruler of the kingdom of this world. And he rages because he knows his time is short. It is still a world under the curse. It is still a world characterized by disease, disaster and death. But that is going to change dramatically when Jesus returns and ushers in the event described in Revelation 11:15-19!

Jesus will consummate His Kingdom on earth, banishing Satan and his followers forever. Every vestige of the curse will be reversed and banished forever as well. No more disease, no more disaster, no more death! We will be together in a restored body on a restored planet forever. But most importantly we will be with God, in His presence, face to face, again.

This incredible passage closes with an Old Testament image that sums up what the main event means for us. Revelation 11:19 says, “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple.” The temple (specifically the Holy of Holies where the ark was located), signified God’s presence. Only a high priest could go in there once a year (and even that was dicey!). Not anymore. And how do we ‘get in?’ Let us never forget the price paid for us to ‘regain access’ to God. Meditate on Matthew 27:50-51, which describes THE main event of our salvation – “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit.  And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split” (Mt 27:50-51).

What can make us whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Consider—
╬   How does longing for and praying for His Kingdom to come impact your daily life and attitude? Do you hesitate to pray for Christ’s Kingdom to Come? Or is this one of your passionate and urgent prayers?
╬    Our access to God and our union with Christ was unfathomably costly for Jesus. Remember. Make a list of what it cost for us to regain access to a perfect, holy, righteous, merciful, loving God. Then, consider what it costs us to enter into the access of fellowship with God that Jesus bought for us? Surrender your heart and life, your self-determination, your will.
╬   Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done here on earth, and in my life today, as it is in heaven. This is our prayer, Lord. This is Your amazing promise! In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Sermon Title: The Sights and Sounds of Judgment
Scripture: Revelation 9:13-21 (ESV)
  
In the past few weeks, we have focused on the end times and how our bodies, our world and our perspective will all be made new. Last week’s passage focused on the questions believers have asked throughout time – “Lord how long?” We learned that “the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, but is patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Given these words we contemplate how we ought to live as we await the promise of a new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells.

Today’s passage is sobering as we witness the horrors of the tribulation and a time of God’s wrath. It is during this time that God no longer restrains evil. The sixth angel’s trumpet blast releases four bound, demonic angels, living in a state of bondage until Almighty God allows them, at His exact, appointed time, to execute their role as instruments of divine judgement. They are prepared in advance for this time of destruction. Their mission, with an army of 200 million, is to annihilate a third of mankind, with their war beasts that incinerate by fire, asphyxiate by smoke and/or the deadly gas of sulfur given off by burning brimstone. The lion-headed horses ridden by the demonic angels, not only produce fire, smoke and sulfur, but they are able to poison people with their tails made of venomous snakes. People who have repeatedly turned against God, who have ignored the prompting of the Holy Spirit are the recipients of this judgement and wrath. Consider the global catastrophic impact of the death of over a billion people in a short space of time!

For those remaining, God allows more time to repent. Although plagued with horrors of fire, smoke and poisonous wounds, His Spirit still invites and seeks souls that see and acknowledge the light of truth. The Father will continue to draw people to Jesus, who, even during this time of tribulation, will answer the call and be cleansed by the blood of Christ shed for them. The heart break of this passage, however, shows that most of the remaining earth dwellers continue their defiance, refusing to repent. John lists five sins that represent their defiance. There will be a resurgence of idol worship. Violent murders will be widespread and unchecked, “religion” will be experienced by using drugs to commune with deities, indescribable sexual perversion will be rampant, and theft widespread as people compete for scarce resources. Most will harden their hearts, unwilling to glorify the only true God, creator of the universe, creator of all good things and creator and supreme lover of all mankind.

These are serious words. The hearts of believers should be quickened to faithfully share the Good News of Christ while time remains. How should we then live?  As people who are submitted to the Lordship of Jesus, take every opportunity to speak the love of Christ into the lives of others. Pray unceasingly for the souls of lost individuals known and unknown. Be not distracted by the cares and responsibilities of this life to the point you miss the bigger picture of our call to sow seeds of truth into every life we touch. Ask the Father of love how you may serve Him best and consciously prepare and ready yourself to defend and share your faith at any moment there is opportunity.

Consider –
╬    It is often easy to focus upon the business of our personal lives and relationships while we neglect the bigger story of God’s world. Today’s text shows us the reality of what is to come. It invites us, compels us, to be vigilant in sharing the Good News of transformation from death to life that is available to all who receive God’s salvation in Christ Jesus. Who do you know who needs Jesus? Let your life and your words speak God’s love and grace. Pray unceasingly for the Spirit’s work in their lives.

╬    Abba Father, Good and Gracious God, Creator, Redeemer, Friend and Companion, give me a heart like yours, curb my complacency, convict me of cocooning in the safety of the church body and segregating from the world around me. Teach me that it is not in activism that salvation lies, but in earnest repentance and submission to the risen Christ, who paid the ultimate price for my salvation. Melt my heart of stone and give me the heart of Christ and a desire to share the saving faith of the cross with every soul I encounter.  In the name of Christ Jesus our Risen Lord, AMEN.  

Sermon Title: Our Perspective Made New
Scripture: 2 Peter 3:11-13 (ESV)

Coming Soon

Sermon Title: Our World Made New
Scripture: Romans 8:18-23 (ESV)

“…that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:21

In our sermon series on the book of Revelation, last week we paused and focused on what Scripture tells us about our future, eternal, restored resurrected bodies. This week we are doing the same with the whole of creation. No better place to start than Romans 8:18-23, which paints a breathtaking picture of our world longing for restoration. Please take a moment and read those verses.

What, ultimately, will happen to creation? To answer this question, let us back up and look at the entire story of creation in Scripture. I would summarize this as -- Good, Groans & Glimpses, and Genesis Again!

It was Good! – The account of God’s creation in Genesis One and Two is clear. Over again, God pronounced it good. Imagine a pristine world untouched by sin – a place where every blade of grass was green, every stream was pure and clear, every tree flourished full of fruit, creatures lived in perfect harmony, and humanity enjoyed unbroken fellowship with God. And all of this was entrusted to Adam and Eve for joyful and faithful stewardship. That was God’s good original design.

Groans & Glimpses! – Everything changed when Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan over God. They exchanged the truth for a lie, and sin divided paradise. The door opened for disease, disaster, and death to enter. This is the world we live in today – the land of the dying. Not only for humanity, but all of creation came under the curse of sin and . . . we groan (8:22).

But God did not destroy all of creation, Though it was cursed, it was not destroyed. Even now, we can still see glimpses of that original beauty. Majestic mountains, breathtaking sunsets, flourishing forests, and the wonder of life all remind us that the Creator's fingerprints remain on His world.

 These glimpses point us forward to full restoration.

Genesis again! – Jesus Christ came to accomplish what we never could. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the grave, defeating death itself. Through Him, we are forgiven, restored to God, and given the sure hope of living in a renewed creation forever. Jesus called this future restoration the “renewal of all things.” (Mt 19:28) The Greek word He used was palingenesia, which broken down means Genesis again.

Want to imagine eternity? Go back to Genesis 1 and 2. Picture everything you love in our world…but now free from disease, disaster, death! Jesus gave us previews of his inaugurated kingdom that is to come.

• No more Demons (Luke 11:20)
• No more Disease (Matthew 4:23 – “…healing every disease”)
• No more Disaster (Mark 4:39 – “Peace! Be still!”)
• No more Death (John 11:43 – “Lazurus, come forth!”)

Brothers and sisters, the reality of Genesis again is hopeful! Revelation 21:1–3 reveals the glorious conclusion of God's story. Heaven comes down to a restored earth, and God dwells with His people forever. It is the definitive answer to the Lord’s prayer: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” God does not scrap His good creation. He will restore and fulfill His original purpose for His people and His world.

Today, whatever groaning you experience, remember this: it is not the end of the story. The Creator who declared His world "good" is bringing about "Genesis again." One day, all creation—and all who belong to Christ—will rejoice together in a world made new.

Consider—
╬ Until then, how does trusting in God’s ultimate promise to make ‘all things new’ affect your daily choices?

╬ For a ‘glimpse’ this week, go for a walk outside with the beautiful mountains of Colorado in view. Meditate on Isaiah 55:12, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

╬ Heavenly Father, Creator of the heavens and the earth, we thank You for the breathtaking beauty that surrounds us. With that said, we see the brokenness in the world and in our own lives. Help us to trust You. Remind us of the glorious future that is coming when You renew everything. In the meantime, may we be lights shining to others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Sermon Title: Our Bodies Made New
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 (ESV)

Coming Soon!

Sermon Title: The Good News of Judgment
Scripture: Revelation 8:6–9:12 (ESV)

There is a striking moment in Revelation before the trumpet judgments begin. Heaven falls silent. After chapters filled with worship, songs, and praise, there is suddenly silence before God's throne (Rev 8:1). This silence is not empty. It is filled with expectation. John tells us that the prayers of God's people rise before God like incense (Rev 8:3–5).

The silence is meant to remind us that God hears every prayer of His people. The cries for justice, the longing for righteousness, and the pleas for God to make all things right are never ignored. The trumpet judgments are, in part, God's response to those prayers. The good news is that God who sits on the throne is never indifferent to evil or to the suffering of His people.

The trumpets also reveal that God's judgments are increasing in intensity yet still marked by God’s mercy. While the seal judgments affected one-fourth of creation, the trumpets affect one-third. The devastation spreads across the land, the sea, the rivers, and the heavens. John is not merely describing isolated disasters but presenting a sweeping picture of God's judgment reaching every sphere of human life. Economic systems, political powers, and the created order itself all feel the effects of humanity's rebellion.

Throughout these visions, John intentionally echoes the plagues of Egypt. Just as God judged Pharaoh's oppressive empire while protecting His covenant people, Revelation assures believers that God remains faithful to His own. The Exodus becomes a pattern for the final deliverance of God's people. Just as He delivered Israel, He will ultimately overthrow every power that opposes His rule and reign.

John also introduces a profound theme of "de-creation." Sin has corrupted God's good world, and judgment begins to undo the broken old creation to prepare for the infinitely better new heaven and new earth. God's judgment is never His final goal; it serves His greater purpose of redemption and restoration.

The terrifying locusts of the fifth trumpet symbolize demonic forces that are allowed to torment those who reject God. Yet even they are under God's authority. Their power is limited. Their time is limited, reminding us that evil is real but never sovereign.

Revelation uses vivid symbols not to satisfy our curiosity about the future but as a call to faithful discipleship today. The central message of these chapters is that evil will not endure forever. Every system built on idolatry, injustice, violence, and oppression is destined for destruction because it stands against the reign of God and the Lamb. Christians stand in the hope that God will certainly triumph.

Revelation teaches that God's judgments never contradict His character as revealed in Jesus Christ. The One who reigns is the Lamb who was slain. Christ conquers through sacrificial love, and God's judgments flow from the same holy character revealed at the cross. Humanity experiences judgment because it rejects the source of life itself. When people worship false gods—whether power, wealth, empire, or self—they inevitably experience the destructive consequences of those idols. In this sense, judgment often comes through the very systems that rebellious humanity has chosen to trust.

These visions also function as a loving and merciful warning. Before final judgment there is invitation to repent. God's desire is not destruction but redemption. The trumpet judgments call both the churches and the world to turn from idolatry and return to the living God while there is still time.

For Christ followers, Revelation 8 and 9 offers both comfort and challenge. It comforts us by reminding us that our prayers matter, that injustice will not have the last word, and that God remains sovereign and merciful even when evil appears overwhelming. It challenges us to reject the idols of our own culture, and hearts. It invites us to place our hope not in earthly powers but in the Lamb who reigns forever.

Remember, when heaven is silent, it is not because God is absent or distant. It is because He is listening. And when He acts, He does so with perfect justice, unwavering holiness, and unfailing love, moving all of history toward the day when the old creation passes away and all things are made new.

Consider—
╬ Where am I tempted to place my trust—in the kingdoms and securities of this world, or in the Lamb who alone reigns forever?

╬ Lord, thank You that You hear the prayers of Your people. Help me to trust Your justice when evil seems to prosper. Guard my heart from the idols of this world, strengthen my faith to remain faithful, and keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, the Lamb who reigns. May I live today with confident hope that You are making all things new. In Christ, Amen.

Sermon Title: The Prayers that Shake Heaven and Earth
Scripture: Revelation 8:1-5 (ESV)


In our sermon series on the book of Revelation, we have noted timeless themes that provided comfort to the first century recipients of the Apostle John’s letter and provide the same comfort and encouragement to us today, including the sovereignty of God, His protection for believers, the certainty of final justice, the promises of God’s mercy and salvation for those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb. But in our text today we come to a powerful theme, consistent through God’s Word, that we might not have expected here in Revelation – the power of prayer.

Remember back in chapter 6, the martyrs prayed to God pleading, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (6:10). For these martyrs, the waiting seemed long though they knew the certainty of final judgment was secure. God responded telling them “not yet.” Now here in chapter 8, we have the prayers of the saints – all believers – rising like incense before God and ushering in the end of the world and the beginning of eternity. God hears their prayers, smells the aroma of their prayers, and says, “Yes.” The time has come.

This should encourage us to never doubt that our prayers matter. God is sovereign and is in full control of all events past, present and future. His will be done! But God asks us to be participants in His work in the world through our hands, our hearts, and our prayers. When we pray, we can trust God is all-wise, all-powerful, and all-loving. His timing is perfect and He perceives the beginning and the end, while we do not. The omnipotent God of the universe certainly did not have to invite us into His work in the world through prayer, but He did.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:9-10). Heaven is where there is no resistance to the rule and reign of God. Your will here as it is there! That prayer will never be in vain. It rises like incense before God. And at some point, Jesus is coming back. His Kingdom will come!

Therefore, let’s pray today for His Kingdom to come. Pray also today for the great variety of things in your life, and other’s lives, with confidence that God hears, that our prayers are like incense rising before Him, and that He acts in response to our prayers with His wisdom and His power and His love. And finally, let’s pray the final prayer in Revelation (22:20) as the ultimate intercessory prayer –  “Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus!”

Consider—
╬   Imagine an aroma that takes you back to a relished, comforting memory – like the smell of the June forest or fresh-baked bread. Every prayer you pray rises to the Father and is a sweet aroma because of the purification of Christ our Lord. The Lord hears your prayers; the Father smells your prayers! He is acting and He will act upon them according to His will and His perfect timing.

╬   For the martyrs before the throne, the waiting seemed long though the certainty of final judgment was secure. In your prayer life, are there specific burdens or “how long?” type burdens that you have become weary of bringing before the Lord? Like the white-robed martyrs, waiting is hard requiring patience and trust. Ask the Lord to renew your trust and bring these “how long” prayers to the Lord today.

╬   Father, thank you for inviting us to pray.  Hallowed be your name today in all we are and all we do. Hallowed be your name today in our city and church and the places where we work. May your kingdom come, your will be done in our lives today as it is in heaven. We want all people to know the glory of your name. May the Spirit enable our lives to draw men and women to yourself. Amen, Come, Lord Jesus! It is in His name we pray.

Sermon Title: Sealed for the Storm
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)
  
One of the primary purposes of the book of Revelation by John the Apostle was to provide comfort and encouragement to the Seven Churches during times of persecution and tribulation. We have seen that the same messages apply to us today. We live in a broken, fallen world characterized by persecution, tribulations and death. This week in our text from 1 Thessalonians 4 we get an amazing, frankly overwhelming, glimpse of what is in store for us as believers in Christ.

First we need to ask the question –What happens when we die? What happens to our loved ones when they die? Apparently, that is the question many in the first century church at Thessalonica had for Paul and he gave them a beautiful and helpful description. Take a moment and read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. I want to focus on his use of the word sleep as his description of Christian death. Death is also frequently referred to as sleep elsewhere in the Bible. In Psalm 13, David prays to the Lord, “Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death” (Ps 13:3). In John 11, Jesus tells his disciples that their friend Lazarus slept. “‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’ His disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep” (Jo 11:11-13).

How is this helpful to us today? First, it signifies the temporary nature of the grave. Just as we wake up from sleep, the physical body will awaken at the resurrection. Second, we know that sleep is often the best prescription when we are ailing from sickness or fatigue. Sleep helps restore our body. Similarly, the sleep of death restores the soul. When we are in Christ, the sleep of death transforms us into glory and removes every vestige of sin and sorrow.

It is important to note that this sleep only refers to the physical body. The Christian soul does not sleep. Instead, we are transported to the presence of the Lord. Paul wrote that being “absent from the body” means being “present with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8). Jesus told the thief on the cross, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk 23:43).

Regarding those who have fallen asleep, Paul tells us that when Jesus Christ returns, the dead in Christ will receive their new bodies first and “then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1Thes 4:17). Thanks be to God.

Consider—
╬   Paul says not to grieve “as others do, who have no hope.”  How does the promise of eternity in the presence of the Lord and the view of death as sleep encourage you as you consider your own death and eternal home?

╬   Each of us has lost loved ones to the sleep of Christian death. I would like to dedicate this devotional to our good friend and brother Eric Victor who recently is ‘sleeping’ physically, while his soul is in the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. How does the reality of physical sleep alongside the promise of being always with the Lord help you process the loss of a loved one?

╬   Father, thank you for the promises in Your Word. Thank you for the promise that all who trust in You will be caught up together with You and will always be with You. Because Jesus died and rose again, we know that death is not the end. It is in His name we pray. Amen.

Sermon Title: The Power of a Promise
Scripture: Revelation 7:1–8; Romans 11:25–29 (ESV)


PROMISE – a word that inspires hope, a commitment, declaration and assurance of something good. This is a word that, as humans, we long to hear and to embrace.

At the opening of scripture in the beginning of time and creation and after the fall of man, God makes a promise (Gen 3:15) that the seed of woman (Jesus Christ) will crush the head of the serpent (Satan) and provide a path of salvation for all mankind. Then when God destroys the earth because of the sinfulness of man, He promises Noah (Gen 9:11-17) that never again will he destroy the earth with a flood. God calls Abraham and promises to make him the father of a great nation whose descendants will outnumber the sands of the seas or stars of the sky (Gen 15:5). God reaffirms that promise with Abraham’s son, Isaac (Gen 26:3-4) and Jacob (Gen 28:13-15). These promises are God’s covenants with his people.

God established the nation of Israel with the Mosaic covenant (Ex 19-24), a conditional, two-way agreement that God would bless the nation if they obeyed Him. The Old Testament is the documentation of Israel’s persistent disregard of their promise. But God faithfully continues His promises with King David (2 Sam 7) that his physical lineage would rule an eternal kingdom, culminating in the Messiah – Jesus Christ.

The Bible is filled with examples and depictions of a covenant-keeping God, making and always keeping His promises to mankind. Conversely, we see example after example of people breaking their promises to God (and each other). We have all experienced the utter feeling of brokenness and disappointment when a promise is unfulfilled, and we have all been perpetrators of broken promises. Can we keep a promise? Yes, at times, but every human on the planet has at some point failed to keep their promises. The Bible shows us that God NEVER fails and is ALWAYS faithful to His promises.

In our passage today, the four angels poised at the four corners of the earth are commanded to hold back destruction. This is the justice requested by the martyred saints under the altar (the fifth seal). An angel, who arises from the east – the rising place of the sun – the area from which God’s glory manifests itself commands the four angels to hold until the believing remnant of Israel are sealed by a mark on their forehead.

At the eve of the Lord’s coming, Israel will be re-embodied as a nation. From these, a believing remnant will be preserved from the judgments which will destroy all the anti-Christian confederacy.  Israel’s spiritual resurrection will be “as life from the dead” (Rom 11:15) to all the nations.  Israel can no more pass away before Christ’s advent, than Christ’s own words can pass away. The sealing of the remnant of Israel looks back to Ex 28:36-38, where God instructs the creation of high priestly garments fashioned for Aaron. “You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord’…it shall be on Aaron’s forehead.” This is an exciting fulfillment of God’s promise in Genesis to Abraham and in Exodus to the nation of Israel.

The Bible is “His Story” showing us countless promises of a faithful God to people throughout time. This is the power of a promise – a covenant-keeping God, faithful, true, believable and confirmed. This is a hope to which we can cling and an assurance in which we may trust.

Consider –
╬    Does knowing that we are children of a promise-keeping God inspire hope, commitment and confidence in you? Does knowing the power of God’s promise to forgive, redeem and rescue you affect your day-to-day walk?

╬    During difficulties and trials, how does embracing the power of God’s promises change your perspective?

╬    Promise-Keeper God – Father, Son and Spirit, thank you for your promises to your people. Thank you for your promise to be with us, to love and protect us. Thank you that you are our strength and our provider. Thank you that you hear us when we cry and you answer us by giving us peace and presence. May the power of your promises pervade our lives and relationships so that all the world will see that you are a covenant-keeping God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Sermon Title: How God Shapes His People
Scripture: Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9-17 (ESV)


Who are those who John sees in white robes, nearest the throne in Revelation 7, the ones nearest the throne, with the angels and the four living creatures? John tells us these are the one’s “who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (7:14). Surely we all want to be robed in these white robes, to stand out even in the glorious, brilliance of the gathered throngs from every tribe and nation and tongue around the Father’s eternal throne. But do we also desire the purification that will obtain for us these garments? For these have not obtained these robes with power or money or influence, with their wit or charm or intelligence. No, they have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (7:14). Paul writes of this washing in Philippians 3:10-11, “My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

But what does this look like, this kind of union, to have one’s robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb? Not as an idea, but in practice.

The church father, Ignatius, as he was being taken to Rome to be martyred, wrote to the church there and begged them not to rescue him from the beasts. “I am God’s wheat,” he said, “and I am ground by the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found pure bread of Christ” (Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans 4.1). Here, in this single terrible and beautiful image, we see what it means to be washed in the blood of the Lamb. Ignatius does not seek suffering for its own sake, as though pain itself were holy. Rather, he desires to be so joined to Christ that even his death might become an offering, that even the tearing of his body might be taken up into the life of the one whose body was broken for the life of the world. He sees himself as wheat because he sees Christ as bread. He sees the lions as teeth because he sees the cross as the mill by which the old man is ground down and made new. And so, for Ignatius, martyrdom is not simply an end; it is a participation. It is the final surrender of the self into the hands of the Lamb, that by sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in his death, he might somehow attain to the resurrection from the dead.

When we take the body and blood in the eucharistic feast, we are joined spiritually to Christ. May our whole lives be transformed by this same grace so that we may one day be those John sees, wearing the robes white and washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Consider –
╬   John sees the saints robed in white before the throne, those who have come through the great tribulation. When you imagine the life of faith, do you imagine only comfort and blessing, or do you also imagine being conformed to Christ in his suffering?

╬   Paul says that his aim is to know Christ, to experience the power of his resurrection, and to share in his sufferings. Where might Christ be inviting you not merely to think about him, but to be joined to him in patience, forgiveness, endurance, repentance, or costly love?

╬   Ignatius called himself “God’s wheat,” ground by the teeth of beasts that he might become “pure bread of Christ.” What in you still needs to be ground down by grace — not destroyed, but transformed — so that your life might become an offering to God?

╬   Our Lord and our God, we are frightened people who know suffering that is only a glimpse of what you endured. Thank you for comforting us and defending us in the suffering that we do experience here and now. And Lord, you triumphed so that we could follow in your steps. Show us the way to full union with our Christ and Savior. Give us courage and faith to keep our eyes focused on you and not on the distractions around us and within us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Sermon Title: Behold the Lamb
Scripture: Revelation 5:1-10 (ESV)


How often we imagine the risen Christ only in the language of brightness – as transfigured, majestic, robed in unapproachable light. And rightly so. He is the Lord of glory, the source and end of all radiance, the one before whom every creature in heaven and on earth falls down in worship. And yet, when the apostle John gives his most searching vision of heaven, he describes Jesus as “the Lamb who was slain” (Rev 5:9).

This is no incidental detail. John has been told to look for the “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the conqueror” (v. 5) who is worthy to open the scroll. The one who triumphs! But when he turns to see the Lion, he beholds a Lamb. And not merely a lamb, but a slain Lamb. The victory of God revealed in sacrifice. The triumph of Christ is his wounds. And we know that is not a misremembered detail since only a few chapters later John describes him again as “the Lamb, slain from the foundations of the world” (Rev 13:8).

There is mystery in this: the risen Lord does not leave the cross behind as a discarded instrument, as some dark passage now swallowed up by glory. Rather, the cross is revealed as glory. The wounds are not erased by resurrection; they are transfigured by it. The Lamb is seated at the very center of heaven, enthroned in the worship of angels and elders, and he is recognized by the marks of his self-giving love.

Oh, what comfort this should be to those of us who still live under death’s curse. Jesus’ sacrifice was not a detour, not a divine improvisation, not a tragic interruption in the story. It is the very center of it all, the meaning toward which all things point. The Lamb was not slain because history had gone wrong. He was slain because the love of God had entered history all the way down, even into death itself, in order to fill it with life.

And now the Lamb who was slain is enthroned. He carries his scars into the endlessness of eternity. Not as reminders of defeat, but as the everlasting signs of love. The wounds by which he was broken open for the life of the world are now the wounds from which all creation receives its song: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” (v. 12).

He is worthy not because he escaped suffering, but because he entered it. Not because he cast aside our frailty, but because he bore it. Not because death could not touch him, but because, having been touched by death, he filled death with himself. Indeed, the way of the cross is the way of grace, and so John sees what faith must learn to see: at the center of all things there is not power alone, not glory untouched by sorrow, not majesty aloof from the wounds of the world. At the center of the throne is the Lamb, Jesus, who was slain for us.

Remember, in this resurrection season, the risen Christ does not reign from a distance untouched by sorrow. He reigns as the wounded one, the one who has taken death into himself and overcome it from within. The throne of heaven is occupied by the one who still bears our weakness and our sin, and he has mercy on us. For centuries, the church has turned to Christ by this name: Lamb of God. And so, with the saints before us, we make their prayer our own:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace. Amen.


Consider –
╬   At the center of the throne is the Lamb, Jesus, who was slain for us. When you imagine heaven, what do you imagine it to be? Do you envision Jesus, the Lamb, as the very center?

╬   Grace: receiving what we don’t deserve. Mercy: not receiving what we do deserve. The way of the cross is the way of grace. To be received into heaven is the way of mercy – God’s mercy extended to his people. Spend time with the Lord giving thanks for the kindness of his mercy and the generosity of his grace.

╬   Oh Lord, our God. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! Amen.

Sermon Title: Enter the Throne Room
Scripture: Revelation 4 (ESV)


One of the gifts of a study of the book of Revelation is the invitation to more closely consider heaven. Often, we live our lives in our present home while the reality of our future, eternal home receives little thought. “Anyway, heaven is a mystery. It is for a future day,” we argue, “so why waste time wondering about our eternity when ‘today has enough trouble of its own?’” But a wise saying from the Rule of Benedict instructs, “Day by day remind yourself that you’re going to die” when we will “be with the Lord forever” (1Thes 4:17). To remember eternity is to live here and now in the light of eternity.

Chapter 4 takes us into the magnificent throne room of God. It’s a stunning, color-filled, glistening, be-jeweled, majestic scene! Prayerfully, humbly enter the throne room along with John with your imagination awake and with a receptive mind and heart. John hears the voice of Jesus “like a trumpet blast” (v. 1). It is the same voice that John first encountered in Rev 1:10-18. “A door is standing open” (v. 1) and John peers through. What has been closed, what has been utter mystery, is now open and revealed for all who will see. With Jesus himself as his guide, John is commanded not to simply “sneak a peek” but to enter in, to “Come up here,” and to understand what is there to behold! Jesus wants John to see the throne room resplendent in the glory of God. He wants him to see all the people of God, witness the judgment and the justice of God, and see the conclusion of human history that is to follow. To experience the reality of the heavenly throne room will sustain John’s readers and provides us the unshakable foundation we need when John is shown “what must happen after this” (v. 1).

Entering through the door John sees “a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it” (v. 2). Who is this “someone”? It is “the Lord God Almighty” (v. 8)! “The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow” (v. 3). Surely, the glory of God is manifest in the throne room. The ruby-red carnelian is the first stone of the breastplate of the OT high priests and jasper, like a diamond, is the last. These, along with the other ten stones of the breastplate, represent the twelve tribes of Israel (Ex 28:17). John names the first and the last of the twelve stones, symbolically indicating that all the chosen people of God are included in the throne room scene. These stones, the carnelian and the jasper, will appear again as the new city of God is described in Rev 21. There is the glow of an emerald rainbow glimmering around his throne, reminiscent of the rainbow covenant given to Noah in Gen 9:12-17. And the one seated on the throne is faithful to keep his covenant-word. God’s justice will prevail! His gracious promise of redemption and his assurance of salvation will sustain the chosen people of God who cling to this hope even in the midst of the judgment to come.

There is much more to see and understand in God’s throne room. It isn’t a static scene but an active one. The omnipotent power, the mighty Presence, and the unparalleled glory and majesty of God are on display. “From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder” (v. 5). Around God’s throne, twenty-four elders wear crowns of gold and seven torches flame with fire. But the great action in the throne room revolves around four living beings, “each covered with eyes, front and back, . . . with six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out” (vv. 6, 8). They are nearest to the throne and stand as all-seeing witnesses of the holiness and purity of God. They see the righteousness of those who are overcomers and the sinfulness of those who reject God. The four living creatures cry out day and night never ceasing to worship the One on the throne. “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” (v. 8).

“Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
‘You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.’” (vv. 9-11).

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee. May it be so, Living God.

Consider –
╬    Now that you have entered the glorious heavenly throne room with John, how might this experience encourage and strengthen you? Jesus himself is our guide and our unshakable foundation for trials here and now and for the final judgment to come.

╬   The four living beings are all-seeing witnesses of God’s holiness and purity, and they represent the all-seeing Presence of God. His inscrutable gaze of love is upon you even now! What comes to mind when you consider that the triune God sees you?

╬   Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. . . Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee. Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be. In the name of the Lamb who was slain we pray. Amen.

Most of Jesus’ life was lived in obscurity. Before the miracles and public ministry, there were quiet years in Nazareth where transformation and growth took place through obedience, spiritual attentiveness, and surrender to God’s purposes.

Luke 2:39–40 lays the foundation of Jesus’ early life. After faithfully fulfilling the Law in Jerusalem, Joseph and Mary returned to Nazareth, where Jesus grew within a devoted family under the favor of God. He became strong, filled with wisdom, and matured both naturally and spiritually. Luke emphasizes that Jesus did not bypass growth. God often forms us slowly through ordinary rhythms of faithfulness, family life, worship, and obedience.

In Luke 2:41–42, Joseph and Mary’s yearly journey back to Jerusalem for Passover reveals a home shaped by worship and devotion. At twelve years old—the age of discernment—Jesus joined them according to custom. This journey foreshadows His later journey to Jerusalem, where He would become the true Passover Lamb who would die for the sins of the world. Transformation begins when spiritual practices become more than rituals. God uses worship, Scripture, community, and sacraments to shape our identity in Christ and prepare us for a sacrificial life walked with Jesus.

In Luke 2:43–45, Joseph and Mary assumed Jesus was with their traveling group. Familiarity caused them to stop intentionally seeking Him along the way. We often do the same—assuming Jesus is present in our routines without actively pursuing Him.

When they realized He was missing, they returned to Jerusalem searching anxiously for Him. Transformation often begins when God disrupts our assumptions and draws us back to seek His presence more deeply.

After three days, they found Jesus in the temple among the teachers, listening and asking questions (vv.46–47). Though filled with divine wisdom, Jesus remained teachable. His humility and devotion to learning amazed those around Him. True transformation produces humility, not arrogance. God often develops us privately before He uses us publicly.

In verses 48–50, Jesus reveals His identity for the first time: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” His life was governed by divine purpose and obedience to the Father.

Mary and Joseph did not fully understand His words. Even those closest to Jesus struggled to comprehend His mission. Likewise, Christian transformation often includes seasons where God’s purposes remain unclear. Like Mary, we can treasure His promises while still learning to trust Him fully.

In verse 51, Jesus returned to Nazareth and remained submissive to His earthly parents. His obedience was surrender to the Father’s will expressed through humility and honor. Transformation in Christ is not only discovering identity; it is learning surrender.

Luke concludes by saying Jesus increased in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and people (v.52). Though fully divine, Jesus embraced full humanity. He learned, matured, and grew.

Luke’s emphasis is both deeply practical and spiritual for us. Jesus reveals what human life looks like when it is fully yielded to God’s Spirit and wisdom.

Transformation is not instant perfection but continual growth in:
• Wisdom
• Character
• Obedience
• Favor with God and others
• Spiritual maturity in everyday life

Consider –
╬ In what ordinary areas of life might God currently be forming and transforming you? Have familiarity or routine caused you to stop intentionally seeking Jesus?

╬ What does Jesus’ example of listening, learning, and growing teach you about spiritual maturity? Is there an area where God is asking you to trust Him even without full understanding?

╬ How is the Holy Spirit inviting you to submit your life to the Father’s purposes this season?

Lord, teach us to grow in wisdom, humility, obedience, and spiritual maturity. Help us seek Jesus intentionally and surrender fully to Your purposes even when we do not fully understand. Form in us lives that reflect the beauty of Christ—full of grace, truth, wisdom, and favor. In his name we pray. Amen.

Scripture: Revelation 2:7, 3:21 (ESV)


“Let him hear what the Spirit says.” It is essential that God’s people hear what the Spirit says. Before we conquer, we must listen; before we open the door, we must hear him knock. We must hear the Shepherd’s voice: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (Jn 10:27). We are sheep—wayward and wandering—and we have all gone astray, carrying with us the curse of those first deaf ears, the ears of our father Adam. The call, “Whoever has an ear, let him hear,” echoes from John's vision in Revelation back to the first man in that first garden: “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (Gen 2:17). But Adam does not listen. His freshly formed ears do not hear. And when the serpent comes, he does not question the Creator's identity. He simply asks Adam and Eve: Did you hear – correctly? “Did God actually say…?” The serpent challenges whether the first man and woman were truly tuned to the Creator’s voice.

Adam and Eve doubt the Creator's voice and whether they truly know him. They eat of the tree, and we all fall with them. In Adam, we are cursed to toil, pain, and death. And death is not abstract, but concrete. The LORD God removes them from the garden because of the dangers that remain: “Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever” (Gen 3:22). Yet even outside the garden, in judgment, the Creator does not stop calling “Where are you?” ever inviting his people to “Come, follow me” (Jn 1:43). But how many times have we strayed? How many times have we, like Adam, shut our ears? “Let him hear what the Spirit says.” Hearing God the Spirit speak is made possible by the One who calls, “Come, follow me.” He is the One who said, “I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me” (Jn 8:28). Jesus’ ears are tuned perfectly to his Father’s voice. He is a new Adam. A new first man. His ears opened. He is the One who perfectly hears what the Spirit says.

“The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered” (Rev 5:5). The Lion conquers as the Lamb who was slain. It is not first our ears that hear, but his; not first our strength, but his. By union with him, our deaf ears are opened, and our wandering feet are able to follow. Believers conquer “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev 12:11).

Praise God that we are united to him. We have received “a Spirit of adoption,” and the Spirit himself testifies that “we are children of God, and if children, then heirs” (Ro 8:15–17). In Christ, we are “more than conquerors” (Ro 8:37), and we receive the promised reward. What Adam lost by listening to the serpent, Christ restores by listening to the Father. The gift the serpent offered as a lie is now given in truth by the One who has all authority: “I will grant him to sit with me on my throne” (Rev 3:21). We do not grasp at a prize we cannot obtain. We receive our reward as a gift from the Son, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Consider –
╬    We may assume that we have good hearing. But do you have ears to hear what God the Spirit says? When and how do you hear the Spirit speaking? When is your hearing most tuned to God the Spirit – through scripture, prayer, worship, the Church, creation, . . .?

╬    What voices compete for your attention and obedience? If you said yes to God’s work in opening your ears, what voices and distractions would need to become quieter?

╬    Lord, you tell us that “Whoever has an ear, let them hear.” I confess that my hearing is dull and too often, my heart doesn’t want to listen. Open the eyes and the ears of my heart and enable me to recognize the voice of my good Shepherd when you invite me to follow. I pray by grace, through faith in Jesus, the Son, who listens, conquers, and leads his church to glory. In his name we pray. Amen.

Scripture: Revelation 2-3 (ESV)

Coming soon

Scripture: Revelation 1:12-18 (ESV)


We have recently embarked on a journey through the Book of Revelation, a letter as dramatic as it is deeply encouraging. Written by the Apostle John during his exile on the island of Patmos, these words were originally sent to seven churches enduring bitter persecution under the Roman Emperor Domitian. The first-century believers desperately needed their hope restored and their courage renewed. Today, we find ourselves also need encouragement.

Revelation uses vivid imagery and symbolic language to pull back the curtain on spiritual reality. While there is much to unpack in the coming months, the opening chapter provides exactly what these seven churches needed: a breathtaking revelation of who Jesus is and what He has done that offers hope and encouragement.

The Vision of the King
As you read Revelation 1:12–18, invite the Holy Spirit to lead you. Each detail of this vision points to a powerful truth about our Savior:

• His Presence: Standing among "seven golden lampstands" (the churches), Jesus is the "Son of Man"—the promised Messiah of Daniel 7 who possesses an eternal kingdom.
• His Purity and Power: Clothed in a priestly robe with eyes like "flames of fire," nothing escapes His pure, all-searching gaze. His feet, like "burnished bronze," speak of His absolute holiness, while His voice, like the "roar of many waters," commands our total allegiance and obedience.
• His Word and Glory: From His mouth comes a "sharp two-edged sword"—His decisive word of judgment. His face shines with the "strength of the sun," a glory so brilliant we cannot look upon it directly.
• His Eternity: When He declares He is "the first and the last," He is claiming the very nature of God—the Alpha and the Omega.

 
The Touch of Grace
Faced with such overwhelming glory, John did the only natural thing: he fell at Jesus' feet as though he were dead. Yet, what happens next is the heart of the Gospel. Jesus lays His right hand on him and whispers, "Fear not."

Why should we not fear? Not because Jesus isn't powerful or "scary" in His holiness—the glory of the risen Christ is truly awesome—but because of what He has done out of infinite love:

1. "I died" — He paid the full penalty for our sins on the cross.
2. "I am alive forevermore" — His resurrection proves His divinity and the success of His mission.
3. "I have the keys of Death and Hades" — He is sovereign over every trial, every persecution, and death itself.

 
Our Response
Brothers and sisters, this is the message for us today. He has conquered sin on your behalf. Because He died, you are forgiven. Because He lives, you will live eternally with Him in the palingenesia—the "Genesis again" where all things are made new (Mt. 19:28). Our response to this revealed Christ determines everything.

Consider—
╬         How does the reality of Jesus holding the "keys" change the way you view your current fears or struggles?

╬         Lord Jesus, we bow in absolute awe. You are the Glorified King, our High Priest, and the Light of the World. You are the eternal Son of God, yet You reached out Your hand to take our guilt, our shame, and our sin upon Yourself. We are humbled that through faith, we receive Your righteousness and the gift of eternal life. We praise You for Your staggering grace and Your tireless love. In Your holy Name we pray, Amen.

Scripture: John 14:1-6, Revelation 21:1-5 (ESV)


The apostle John, who is the author of both the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation, wants his readers to be so heavenly minded that they are earthly good. And in this, as in many other commitments, he follows the teachings of Jesus.

Early in the week that would culminate with Jesus’ crucifixion, and resurrection, Jesus unsettled Peter and the other disciples by telling them that he was going somewhere and that they would not “now” be able to follow (Jn 13:36). But having unsettled them he then said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (14:1-2). The “now” that applied to Jesus’s words about following him applies also to his words of encouragement and comfort, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” His words about the future provided perspective and hope for his followers in the present. And that perspective and hope centered not on the architecture of the house or the comforts of its furnishings but Who is there.

This house is Jesus’s and his Father’s house. And because of God’s love and grace, it is the ultimate and everlasting “dwelling place” (14:2) of all those who believe in, who entrust themselves, to Jesus and the Father. In fact, Jesus Himself will take us—indeed, Jesus is the only one who can take us (14:6)—into this place so that where he is we will be also (14:3).

John was granted another vision of our eternal destiny—entirely congruent with his description in John 14—presented to us in the book of Revelation. If his description in John 14 can be likened to the view through a telephoto, narrowly focused camera lens, his vision in Revelation 21 can be likened to the view through a wide-angle lens. This vision is nothing less than the vision of “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1).

Here again, God Himself is the center of attention. “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” (21:3). Note that God will not merely be present—He will be intimately dwelling with His people. The apostle Paul testifies that we will be “face to face” (1 Cor 13:12). God will not merely be present, but “will wipe every tear from their eyes” (21:4). Because God will not merely be present but powerfully and lovingly active, “Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more” (21:4). Hallelujah!

If some or all of this is difficult to envision now, that is okay, indeed it is to be expected. These are only glimpses ahead into the “new heaven and new earth.” This new heaven and new earth are not new in the sense of replacement. They are new because they are being redeemed by God. This is new in the same way that Jesus’s resurrected body was new. The body that went into the tomb is the same body that walked out of the tomb. Yet, it was new, it was different in that it was supernaturally transformed. So too, we will be transformed, our way of living will be transformed, our very life with God will be transformed!

Consider –
╬   This side of eternity, we have only glimpses of our heavenly home. But we are invited to reflect upon these glimpses of heaven with curiosity. Ask God the Spirit to lead you into a greater imagination of what we’ve been shown thus far. What does heavenly worship of God the Father and Christ the Lamb look like? How will the redeemed experience having our tears wiped away? Will it really be safe to be face-to-face with the Living God who dwells with us?

╬   Are you looking forward to heaven? Many answer, “Yes, come quickly, Jesus!” Others may not be so eager for Christ to come quite yet. There may be earthly pleasures and purposes that you want to engage. There may be fears and resistance, doubts and confusion, that keep you from relishing the idea of being eternally with the Lord.  Reflect on the answer to the question. Invite Jesus to help you see sweet glimpses of the hope and surety that he has declared to be true.

╬   Lord, thank you for these sacred glimpses of heaven. We confess that in our finitude, we find it hard to take these in. In your love and mercy, increase our imagination for heaven. Lead us into a deepening hope of heaven. Open our hearts and minds to receive your promises. It is in Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Sermon Title: What is Jesus doing for us now?
Scripture: Luke 24:36-49 (ESV)


Jesus has been methodical in preparing the disciples for the events of Holy Week. All three synoptic gospels tell us that with precision and clarity Jesus repeatedly describes what is to come. Long before his final days, just after feeding five thousand hungry men, Jesus begins to reveal all that his Passion would entail. “From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Mt 16:21; Mk 8:31; Lk 9:22).

As his final days approach, Jesus gives the disciples more details. “As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead’” (Mt 20:17-19; Mk 10:33-34; Lk 18:31-33).

What were the disciples thinking when Jesus told them what was to come? Did they have ears to hear what Jesus had been telling them? Do we? If the disciples were listening, there should be no surprise.

On resurrection Sunday the risen Jesus walked alongside two confused and sad disciples on the road to Emmaus. They knew that Jesus was “a prophet who did powerful miracles . . . and a mighty teacher” and they “had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel” (Lk 24:21). But they couldn’t make sense of what they thought was the horrific “end” of Jesus’ story. So, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?’ Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Mt 24:25-27).

Moses and the prophets had told the disciples about the Messiah. Jesus himself had told them. “On the third day he will be raised from the dead” (Mt 20:19; Mk 10:34; Lk 18:33). But when Jesus stood among the disciples in the upper room “the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Why are your hearts filled with doubt?” (Lk 24:37-38).

Our final Godspeed Pilgrim question is, “What is Jesus doing for us now?” If we listen to the Word, it is clear that He is doing now for us what he did for the confused and weary disciples on the first resurrection Sunday. “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Lk 24:45). He explained again that “everything written about [himself] in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Lk 24:44). He declared that “there is forgiveness of sins for all who repent” (Lk 24:47). And Jesus commissioned the first disciples to be “witnesses of all these things” to proclaim God’s salvation message “to all the nations” (Lk 24:47). And he sent “the Holy Spirit, just as [his] Father promised” to lead them and remind them as they go.

Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed! As he opens our minds to understand the scriptures, Jesus is responding to our confusion, our doubts and fears. As we repent and receive his forgiveness, He is inviting us to ever-deepening relationship with God and God’s people. As we continue to tell God’s story, we will be his witnesses wherever the Spirit leads. The weary world is waiting to hear the transforming news – Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed!

Consider—
╬   Telling one another our Pilgrimage stories is an essential part of this journey. One pilgrim struggles to find words for his resurrection joy and wonder. “Easter is the best day of the year!” Christ is risen!

╬   Continue Godspeed-ing. Tell your stories to one another, witnessing to the truth that Christ is Risen!

╬   Thank you, Lord, for taking us on this Godspeed Pilgrimage. Thank you for inviting us to walk with you, Jesus, during the last hours of your life on earth. Your salvation is a profound mystery. May God the Spirit open our hearts and minds to know and to remember that our lives belong to you. We worship you Father, Son and Spirit. It is in Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Sermon Title: How Can We Be Found?
Scripture: Job 14:14-17 (ESV)

 
In Genesis 3, and week 3 of the Godspeed Pilgrim, Adam and Eve found themselves hiding from the Lord their God and “Getting Lost” in their sin. This week the scriptures led us to some notable Old Testament Greats who chose “Not Hiding” from Yahweh and discovered themselves “being found” by God. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David and Isaiah all responded to the Lord’s “Where are you?” with “Here I am” courage. Even though the details of their stories vary, for each of these great men of faith, their “Here I am” courage came at a cost—the same cost that you and I must pay. Let’s look deeper into one of these saints—the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah chapters 1-5 have painted the not-so-pretty picture of Israel’s rebellion and disobedience and of the impending judgment that is to come. Some believe that the placement of chapter 6, the story of Isaiah’s call and commission, is strategic. Following the brutal description in the first five chapters, the people may be asking, “Is there hope of redemption for such a disobedient people?” Isaiah tells his own story to assure them that God’s answer is “yes!”

Isaiah chapter six is a fantastic epiphany—a manifestation of a divine being—that stretches the imagination. It is an awe-filled glimpse of heaven and of the majestic throne room of God. (Read and compare Isaiah 6:1-4 with Revelation 4. Our own eyes will one day see what Isaiah saw!) In the thirteen verses that comprise this chapter, Isaiah is called to be God’s prophet and he is commissioned to deliver God’s message of judgment and promised redemption to Israel.

Isaiah describes what he experienced: “I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Is 6:1). There are seraphim with six wings, doorposts and thresholds shaking, smoke fills Isaiah’s nostrils (Is 6:2-4), and there is thunderous singing. “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Is. 6:3).

Then the despairing reality hits Isaiah hard. “‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty’” (Is 6:5). In today’s sermon scripture, Job also recognizes his sin longs for his sin to be taken away. He asks that “My sins would be sealed in a pouch, and You would cover my guilt” (Job 14:17). Among the Old Testament Greats, David also cries for atonement. “Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me” (Ps 51:9-10).

In the presence of the God of Glory, standing before the throne of God, Isaiah cries, “I am ruined!” He is utterly humbled and he knows himself without illusion or pretense. “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for’” (Is 6:6-7). Atonement for Isaiah’s sin has been made and his guilt is removed. Oh, what joy! With atonement accomplished, then the Lord speaks, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” (Is 6:8). It may be pure relief, deep gratitude, raw desire to extend what Isaiah has received, but whatever the reason, the Spirit of God rumbles within him, and Isaiah enthusiastically answers the Lord. “And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Is 6:8). Like a child clamoring to be chosen, Isaiah raises his hand high and says, “Pick me! Pick me!”

Isaiah is no longer hiding from God because of his sin. He is not waiting for someone else to volunteer. He is not doubting the extent of his forgiveness. Nor is he questioning the goodness and trustworthiness of his God. Isaiah, like the other Old Testament Greats, along with the Lord of Life, prays, “Your will, not mine, be done!”

Consider—
╬   Telling one another our Pilgrimage stories is an essential part of this journey. One pilgrim was surprised to realize that she is a “hider.”  She’s never thought that hiding was her modus operandi, but found herself hiding from a neighbor and hiding from an unpleasant task or responsibility and looking for any distraction to keep her from addressing what she needs to tend to. She is working hard to pray “Here I am, Lord. . . not hiding!” A second pilgrim confesses that she uses “I’m busy!” as her means of hiding. Another pilgrim admits that he is a hider and he equates his hiding to his shame. He is actively and intentionally walking with Jesus to relinquish his shame and to receive his belovedness. Are you Godspeed-ing? Tell your stories to one another.

╬   In what circumstance of your life is the Lord inviting you to pray, “Your will, not mine, be done”? Will you relinquish your illusion of control, trust in God’s desire for your flourishing, and humbly surrender to his call?

╬   “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.” We worship you, our Living God. It is in Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Scripture: Genesis 3:1-12 (ESV)


When children have wandered away and gotten lost in their own desires there is often an attempted cover-up. Adam and Eve tried to cover their disobedience, their nakedness, their shame. The kinds of coverings were many. Discovering that “they were naked” (3:7), they covered themselves with fig leaves. When they heard “the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day,” Adam and Eve covered themselves by hiding “among the trees of the garden” (3:8). When their disobedience was called out, Adam covered himself by blaming “The woman whom you gave to be with me” (3:12) and Eve covered her disobedience by blaming, “The serpent” who deceived her (3:13).

The Lord’s first children in Eden’s garden are prototypes of people, be they children or adults, who have gotten lost through the ages. Disobedience brings fear of consequences. Disobedience breaks fellowship. Disobedience burdens the child with an unbearable weight of guilt.

Fear of disapproval, dread of a verbal tongue-lashing or of an angry parent’s backhand are consequences that compel a child to hide. When love is conditioned upon behavior and when a child’s confidence of belonging may be withdrawn because of failure to meet an imposed standard, a child will always seek to deflect and deny. A burden of guilt may be disguised as withdrawal, as anger and tantrums, or in attempts to find another’s behavior that is more egregious than my own. There is nothing new under the sun! We know these stories in our own lives and in the lives of those we love.

But the most fundamental difficulty of these narratives is made clear back in the Garden. “But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (3:9). If the above narratives describe your own experiences, then you may hear the Lord’s question as being asked in a demanding, condemning tone. However, the God who is love (1Jo 4:16) asks the question already knowing what has happened, how his first fearful children are feeling and what will be required to respond to the consequences that flow from the serpent’s lies and Adam and Eve’s choices. These first children, and the world they lived in, were created for love and relationship. The God who made them will not break his promises.

The LORD God is the one who “keeps you as the apple of His eye” and who hides you “in the shadow of His wings” (Ps 17:8). He tells you, “Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you” (Gen 28:15).

He declares, “You are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God” (Eze 34:31). “But now—even now—this is what the LORD says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. . . For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Is 43:1-3).

Truly, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Ps 91:1), because nothing “in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:39).

Consider—
╬   Telling one another our Pilgrimage stories is an essential part of this journey. One pilgrim still remembers his fear after he had a fender bender that left a small dent in the bumper of his dad’s car. He tried and failed to fix the dent himself. He never confessed and his father never said a word about it. Fifty-five years later, he can still feel the relief he experienced when his dad sold the car.  Are you Godspeed-ing? Tell your stories to one another.

╬   When have you tried to hide a choice that had big consequences? The Lord already knows and is waiting for you to come to him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt 11:28-30).

╬   Abba Father, we confess that we still try to hide from your gaze. Thank you that you know us. You love us still. And you readily receive your lost children back into fellowship when we come in Jesus name. Thanks be to God.  Amen.