My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end. (Ps. 119:112)
“The End.” Every good story arrives at an end. One is often left to wonder, though, what happens next? We are invited to consider what may have become of the characters we have come to love. What will “happily ever after” really look like?
In John’s vision of the new heaven and earth, the new Eden, we see that the ending is really only the new beginning. This wonder stretches our faith and challenges our mind into thinking on what the restoration of all things means for us. Much like the amazed disciples gazing up at Jesus’ ascension, we must leave the mountain and engage in our mission. New Eden’s desire is to shape the rest of the world in its likeness. We are called into the family business of being heaven brought to earth. To live in light of the end, we align with what God wanted in the beginning. Living surrendered to the life of Jesus is embracing the restored heritage of Eden.
So, we wrap up this week seeing that there is a new beginning at “the end.” And this new beginning is “boomeranging” around to the present purpose, commission, and story we are living. The story God is writing on our hearts is eternal and aligns us with a joy and delight that is just getting started.
Consider how Christ wants to involve you in bringing heaven to earth.
Aaron Golden is a church planter and lead pastor at Union Point Church in New Bern, North Carolina.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
