I'm using the add on display again this week. The love of God as the end is what I have usually called the pull. God's love already holds what will be. No matter how things 'end' there will be the God whose love knows no end. So even though we see things as the end - the end of our career - the end of a relationship - the end of a trip - the end of the day - the end of life, the love of God is there. If the love of God is there as it was from the beginning, I would think that the end is now been transformed into a beginning. God pulls us into the beginning of all things because God is already at the end. This is one of those reasons I often go back to the expression that God is the Alpha and the Omega. God's love as the end means that the end will be transformed by that love. Within the end of all things is the opportunity for life to begin. The look of that ending is not know - it is only affirmed. The affirmation is simple. God's love will be there and in the midst of that love we face that which has yet to be. Does that mean the end or the beginning. If we have not yet been there - it is the beginning even as it appears to be what we call the end. The love of God as the end is encouragement. It is the power that pulls us into whatever we will encounter as we step out into the future. We already stand on the creative love of God from the beginning and now - just so we do not merely stand in one place for the rest of our lives - we are pulled into places and times of which we do not know the ending. We do not know how this day will go. But yes we do. It will end within the embrace of God's love. That is meant to be an open door to whatever is next. It is the voices of Jesus that says, "Come and follow me." Really!? Even when we cannot see around the bend and into the moments ahead of us, God is always calling us into God's love that has prepared a place for us. The gospel writer John speaks of rooms that are prepared for us in 'our Father's mansion.' I buy it. I'm sold. There is this love of God set up and ready for us. We need only come and rest within it - call it home - stretch out and act as though it has been there all along and will be there for ever. That creates encouragement. We are handed a reason to face the stuff of life that we think will be the end of us. We face it because our God promises to be forever present. O God of love and new life, the end of all things is often difficult for us to face. It is so unknown. Remind us again that in the end we will see how you create things anew. That will make this day look new and strange - so walk with us again. Amen. |
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