The Joy of Glory

*I have enjoyed writing the Lenten devotionals for 2018 and appreciate all the encouraging emails people have sent to tell me about how God has been at work in their lives through his Word. I encourage you to keep on reading Scripture daily that you may find ever-increasing joy in the glory of God. Grace and Peace, Jonathan

Revelation 21:1-7
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Reflection
Holy Saturday… a day of waiting.

Imagine if you had been amongst Christ’s disciples the day after his crucifixion. That had to be the most hopeless of Sabbaths. A day they had grown up observing as the most hope-filled day of the week… a day that recalled God’s perfect creation and looked forward to the day he would redeem and restore it all to the way he created it to be… that day had become the most hopeless day of their lives.

At least that is how it seemed… but if only they could see…

If only they could see that they were merely a day away from the in-breaking of everything they had ever hoped for! The reversal of sin and its darkest effect… death… this would soon begin with the resurrection of him… Jesus Christ!

Oh… if they could’ve seen that! How might it have revolutionized their waiting? If only they could’ve seen resurrection was on its way… just a day away!

Now come back to today… come back to this moment… to this Holy Saturday… a day in which we wait much like those first disciples… not for the resurrection, but for the completion of redemption! The completion of what Christ’s resurrection began… the reversal of sin and death!

And we wait with eyes wide open… we wait as those who have seen the resurrected Christ with the eyes of faith! And, his resurrection guarantees the completion of redemption! Our waiting is not devoid of hope but filled with it!

We know that Easter will have its final effect! Redemption will be complete! All things will be made knew!

So, on this Holy Saturday we wait in expectation as a people filled with hope and proclaiming hope to the world… the one who rose on Easter will return! His resurrection will finish what it began… the reversal of sin and death.

Redemption will be brought to completion. Easter will have its final effect!

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.