Willimon doesn't stop making us think of all side of this notion of hell and damnation.
However, valid objections can be raised against the claims of contemporary sentimentalists. Jesus as the all-affirming, indulgent, and inclusive therapist must answer to Scripture's Jesus the Prophet, the Judge, the one who hated our sin enough to take its full force upon himself and save us through, suffering for us and because of us. Jesus was crucified for telling judgmental stories like the one about Lazarus and the rich man. If finally our eternal destiny is in God's hands that applies both to the possibility of divine restoration and to the prospect of divine punishment. We just don't know. all we know for sure about any forecasted final judgment (on the basis of Matthew 25) is that there are large surprises because of the surprising Savior.
I don't even know what will be meant by "divine punishment." It could be the most rewarding thing that comes to me. It may be that which saves me from myself and opens up a world beyond my imagination. I don't know. So...in the meantime, the restoration and the judgment are both part of a grand picture beyond what I may know but within my faithful imagination that has Jesus always - for us...in and through all things. Now, how would you define for us. Hmmm.
Connection: A simple exercise may be to simply imagine how God if "for us" in and through all that takes place today. It will take stretching our imagination...but I think it is within our powers to imagine.
Take us up into your arms, O God. Lift us up to see the grand vision of your Reign and the place that is set for each of your beloved. Amaze us again and again so that we will not fear what the day holds. Amen.
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