Finding Hope Amid an Unfinished Story
At church this past week, the sermon really resonated with me. The day after Christmas. Christmas morning was a time of celebration--a time where shepherds rejoiced because the Savior had been born! But, what happened after that glorious morning? Quite simply, the world returned to its normal routine. The shepherds continued to watch their sheep. Pain and brokenness continued to fill the world. There was still poverty, sickness, and death. Evil and wickedness continued. Peace on Earth? Good will to men?.....Seriously? Quite frankly, it didn't seem like much had changed.
Yes, Christ came into this world as a little baby. He came to save the world. His entrance into this world is considered the first advent. God Himself became flesh to rescue and redeem this broken, sinful world. Miraculous. And yet, pain and brokenness endure without reprieve. Did God abandon His rescue mission? Did He simply forget? Sending a small baby to our sinful world is not how I would have imagined the King of King, our Savior coming down to rescue us.
Yes, Christ came into this world as a little baby. He came to save the world. His entrance into this world is considered the first advent. God Himself became flesh to rescue and redeem this broken, sinful world. Miraculous. And yet, pain and brokenness endure without reprieve. Did God abandon His rescue mission? Did He simply forget? Sending a small baby to our sinful world is not how I would have imagined the King of King, our Savior coming down to rescue us.
Even in this day and age, I think we can all agree, there is not peace on earth. There is indescribable heartbreak, agonizing pain, abundant loneliness. There is war, hunger, hate, abuse, poverty, broken homes, broken relationships, and the list is endless.
If the baby in the manger didn't miraculously heal our broken world, where then does our hope lie? We must remember that the story hasn't ended yet. Our hope lies in the end of the story. The promise we have in Christ is that there will be peace on earth when Christ returns--the second advent. The promise that He will come again and restore all that is broken, that he will wipe away tears, death, mourning, and pain.
This is the hope we have through Christ. His death and resurrection provide us with grace, hope, and peace to live amidst the pain and brokenness as we await the return of our Savior.
Revelation 21: 3-5:
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making all things new!"
If the baby in the manger didn't miraculously heal our broken world, where then does our hope lie? We must remember that the story hasn't ended yet. Our hope lies in the end of the story. The promise we have in Christ is that there will be peace on earth when Christ returns--the second advent. The promise that He will come again and restore all that is broken, that he will wipe away tears, death, mourning, and pain.
This is the hope we have through Christ. His death and resurrection provide us with grace, hope, and peace to live amidst the pain and brokenness as we await the return of our Savior.
Revelation 21: 3-5:
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making all things new!"
No comments:
Post a Comment