Are you feeling weary of all the tension and disunity? In a time when many people disagree about many things, most of us can agree on this: We live in a world desperately in need of restoration. We need help. We need salvation. In Easter we celebrate life from death, the new from the old—God has promised us the renewal and restoration of all things:
Revelation 21:5
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 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. 4 ‘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 everything new!”
Sunsets
“I am making everything new.” Consider the power of that statement. All the mistakes of the past, the suffering, the regret, the damage done…it will all be made new.
Think of sunsets and sunrises. Both are glorious, filled with color and awe and hope. As our culture changes there is much we will have to let go. All change begins with an ending and most endings leave us in some form of mourning. Yet, there is hope in endings. For God’s design isn’t to scratch it all out and start over but to use what came before to nourish and encourage what comes next.
Sunrises
The sun dawns in all its glory carrying the hope of renewal… of the day, of the season, with rested bodies and lifted souls. God will wipe every tear from our eyes. Not as if we’d never cried, but as we’d cried and been comforted by all things being set right.
That is the promise of Easter: new beginnings, the dead raised to life, the restoration of all things. We cannot see it all from where we stand now, but we do have God’s assurance of his renewing work in the world.
May your Easter celebrations be Spirit-filled and hopeful.
Resources
An Undivided Heart- It is possible to live in harmony with God and the world around you! If you need a bring-back-your-first-love moment, this book is for you. It is a journey in experiencing a renewed sense of opportunity and joyful fulfillment through growing closer to living and loving like Jesus.