Day 24
All Things New by Emily H.
For the past 4 weeks, we have been walking through Advent together as we learn to receive and celebrate the gift of Christmas. Starting in Genesis, we reflected on God’s beautiful creation and the gift of His presence. We then mourned together humanity’s rejection of God’s gift and the resulting consequence of sin. Last week, we studied the promises of a coming King, and, these past 6 days, we’ve been celebrating the arrival of that King, the true Gift, Jesus!
The best thing about this Gift, Jesus, is that He keeps getting better! One Christmas, when I was in middle school, I was giddy to receive my very own Bubble Gum Factory that allowed me to create any chewing gum concoction I could dream up. Sour pickle, blueberry blast, mint mayhem—the sky was the limit! But I never opened it. I didn’t want to use it up and not have it anymore, so I never opened the pink cardboard box it came in. It’s silly, but true.
Friends, the same is not true for our Gift. We can’t use it or lose it, instead, it keeps getting even better! You see, when we receive Jesus, He makes us new. The sin that once controlled us is replaced with our new identity in Christ, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit. This Gift, however, doesn’t stop there, as God promises that He will not only make us new but will make ALL things new!
We are still living in the in-between, our hearts have been made new, but the world hasn’t yet. Scorching hot summers, wars, loneliness, and loss, are all a reality for us today, but we have hope! Our scripture shares a day where pain will be no more, crying will cease, and God’s presence, that once was with creation in the Garden, will again return to be with His people. All things will be made new, all wrongs will be made right, and this Gift keeps getting better!
I’d encourage you to close your eyes and listen to our verses today. Through a vision, God shares with John what this new heaven and new earth will be, so let’s listen as he did. Imagine what John saw, make note of what sticks out to you, and how you feel. As this Advent season comes to a close, let’s celebrate the hope of Christ, who makes us new today and will one day make all things new!