reCreation

Our last week in the SFL class was about reCreation - God's story coming full circle.

We midrashed those following passages:

1 Peter 1:13

Hebrews 11: 8-10, 11:39-12:2, 12:18, 22-29

Revelation 21:1-5, 22:1-5

I have never been one to really think too much about heaven or the 2nd coming.  Truthfully, I'd rather not.  I am too focused on this world and what I want from it.  I've thought in the past that if heaven meant my relationships would be different than on earth (like my marriage), then why do I want to go there?  Obviously I want to go there after I die, but I just don't want to think about dying.

I'd posted a while back the lyrics to a new Jeremy Camp song that my sister had shared with me called, There will be a day.  The song talks about the glories awaiting us in heaven.  When I was listening to that song, I thought of an analogy that I was reminded of in our SFL discussion.  Many of us are nearsighted.  We can only see things that are close to us, don't really think about heaven or when Christ returns.  Then there are others that are farsighted.  These are the people who can be obsessed with the End Times, or heaven, and often lose sight of what God has for them here.  Since God is restoring us continually, I believe that one of those things is to have our vision restored where we see 20/20.  If we are truly seeing 20/20, then we can live here in the moment doing the work we are supposed to, but still keeping our eyes on what we have to await us.

According to the passages we midrashed, I think that being able to see what awaits us is one of the ways that God gives us hope in the midst of the broken world we live in.  The end of God's story is so important.  Like any good epic story, everything comes together - good triumphs in ways that we can not even fathom and we will be so incredibly blessed for all eternity.  But I never even think about that.

The passage in 1 Peter says to set our hope fully on the grace to be given us when Christ is revealed.  There are two aspects to that that I was challenged by.  The first is - what is my hope set on?  Truthfully, it is set on the desires I have for this world.  The second is the word fully - not just partially, but fully on that hope.

All in all, SFL was an incredible class that I learned a lot from and challenged me in ways I'd never been before.  I'm looking forward to taking it again this coming year (it will start in February for anyone who is interested).   Several of the people that have taken it more than once have shared with me, that each time they learn more and grow deeper in their beliefs.