Kate Birss on Ephesians

Kate Birss shared from Ephesians in our church's Easter service this year. I was so inspired, that I rediscovered and rewrote all my notes from Ephesians, posting them here during most of the month of April.

Kate Birss About to Enter Kopi Squat in Berlin.

The following are the notes from which Kate shared:

☠

At Christmastime, we celebrate the coming of Christ as a newborn child at Bethlehem. In Advent, we remember his birth but there is also an anticipation of his future return.  To me, Easter has a similar feeling of an anticipation of his return and the New Jerusalem and perfection of his kingdom here on earth.

Easter is the celebration of his death and resurrection.

After his resurrection and spending some time with his followers down here on earth, Christ returned to his home, his throne, in heaven.

And as I think of that image of Christ going up into the sky, I imagine the disciples craning their necks up to heaven, looking kind of silly, and standing there for who knows how long. Then the two angels, who must have been giggling to themselves at the disciples' amazed expressions, said to them, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11)

Easter is a time where we remember the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrected hearts and newness of life in his redemption of our tired, messed-up old lives. “We were dead in our trespasses and sins... but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly placers in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:1 and 2:4-7)

We need to remember that we are now alive, but also that Christ is returning to call us, his loved ones, home to be with him because of all his rich grace. But the people around us are not necessarily going to be joining in that New Jerusalem. There are people around us who are not renewed and regenerated by Christ's gracious blood and they are dying right now every day – racked with guilt by their sins and living under that curse of death from which we have been so graciously freed. We must love one another. We must walk with tender hearts that are attuned to hear the Holy Spirit's voice. We must put on all of the spiritual armor and keep it on. We can't just gallivant around doing whatever we feel like in our old fleshy gross ways and sinning left and right and being all gross like we aren't even saved from all that junk. We are. We are saved, and we are free. We are freed from sin. We are free from the law of sin and death.

We are one in the Spirit 
- We are one in the Lord.

Jesus is the greatest Authority. He conquered sin and death and rose again and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Ephesians 1:20). He is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” -Ephesians 1:21 ESV

In Ephesians 3:6 and 5:30, Paul describes Christ as

the head of the body that is the church.

(This is also in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12.)

Paul also describes the church's relationship to Christ as similar to that of a wife to her husband. Ephesians 5:28-32 reads,

In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Christ is the head of the body, the groom of the bride, and the chief cornerstone -the most important piece of the foundation in a building. In 1 Peter 2:6, Peter quotes Leviticus and the prophet Isaiah:

For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

Christ is far above all, he is the head of the body that is the church and he is the husband to whom we are all to submit.

But God also regards us as Christ's brothers and sisters, and this is a marvelous grace.

God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. -Ephesians 2:4-9 ESV

This is like that Shins song that goes, “Mercy's eyes are blue, when she places them in front of you, nothing holds a roman candle to, the solemn warmth you feel inside of you...” Dude doesn't just say the old phrase, “nothing holds a candle to...”. No, he says a roman candle. That's one of those ones that shoot flames up into the air.... multiple flames. That's what God's mercy is like when it's in front of your face. It's like a roman candle in your face. It's like wow.

In this marvelous grace, Jesus unites us with God. And Jesus unites us to one another. He gives us peace between us and God, and he gives us peace with one another.

It is through the power of the Holy Spirit, given to us at salvation, that we are enabled to walk in unity with God and in unity with one another. The old Jesus people song says, “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,” and it is right. Because of the Holy Spirit, God is with us. That guy who parted the Red Sea and killed all the Egyptians and their horses and so saved the Israelites. That guy. He has lots of power and he shares it with us. And in that power, through Christ, we are one with one another.

 Ephesians 2:12-22 ESV:

...remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

 And in Ephesians 4:1-6:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

We are one in Christ and he equips us, through the body that is his church, to accomplish his work.

We are given the gifts of 
Spiritual leaders and 
the Body of Christ.

Grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. . . .

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. -Ephesians 4:7, 11-16 ESV

·         Christ is the head of the Church. He is the husband of the bride. He is the chief cornerstone. Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers are given to the body of Christ to equip us to do the work of the ministry. Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers are gifts given to us by God's grace. People who have and walk in these gifts are not somehow special or above others by some human standards (read 1 Corinthians), but Paul says, “grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. . . .”

 In Ephesians 3:7-10, he says:

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

The Church is God's working in the world. Each one of us, as believers, is filled with the Holy Spirit, and we're walking around just bein' “God with us” all over the place. Jesus called us salt and light. We are given grace to preach the riches of Christ and to shine light for people, including ourselves, to see that great mystery of grace. We make that grace known as we be the body together, and

we are to submit:

o    One to another (5:21)

o    Wives to husbands (5:22)

o    Children to parents (6:1)

o    Slaves to masters (6:5)

o    Masters to slaves (6:9)

And doing all this submitting is bright and light and shining God's grace.

Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. -1 Peter 2:13-24 ESV

So, we are given one another to love and to teach us about grace in Christ,

And we are given Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers to equip us for the work of the ministry.

So, what is the ministry?

The ministry: 
1- Stand firm, and 
2- Pray in the Spirit always.

We are given spiritual armor and the gift of prayer in the Holy Spirit.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. 
-Ephesians 6:10-20 ESV

We are to constantly pray in the Spirit –

For maturity in Christ (4:14-16)

...so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. -Ephesians 4:14-16 ESV

We are to constantly pray in the Spirit – 

For God's light in our hearts and lives (1:18 and 5:7-14)

Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." -Ephesians 5:7-14 ESV

We are to constantly pray in the Spirit –

For holiness, or purity and “soft hearts” in ourselves and each other (4:17-32)

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!-- assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 
-Ephesians 4:17-32 ESV

We are to constantly pray in the Spirit –

For one another (6:18)

 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 
-Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV

 We are to constantly pray in the Spirit –

For unity as a body (4:1-6)

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 
-Ephesians 4:1-6 ESV

We are to constantly pray in the Spirit –

For our spiritual leaders

praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. 
-Ephesians 6:18-20 ESV

Conclusion and Benediction

Roman people came to Ephesus from all over the region of Asia to visit and worship at the Temple of Artemis (later named Diana). It was one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.

The church at Ephesus was reaching and influencing a great many people with the good news of freedom in Jesus, and here in this book he exhorts the Christians at Ephesus to continue in their love for all the saints – Gentiles, Jews, and people from all over Asia who have heard the good news and now believed.

“Awake, O sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

This is from the prophets Isaiah and Malachi:

"For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts. 
-Malachi 4:1-3 ESV

And in Romans 13:11-12:

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Christ is risen. 
He is risen indeed. 
And so are we. 
And Christ is coming again. 
Oh boy. 
Hallelujah. 
And amen.

 ☠

Click this image to read the pirate pastor's entire series on the book of Ephesians

Not Only Visiting This Planet - Creation Care and Christian Escapism

God's Creation is truly beautiful.

The Crab Nebula. Click for a bigger image.

I was greatly honoured to lead the worship in song at church this morning. With just a guitar and my voice, I led the congregation in three choruses, two contemporary, and one classic. It was with the classic I ended the set, the ever popular hymn How Great Thou Art.

Oh Lord My God

When I in Awesome Wonder

Consider all the Worlds Thy Hand has Made

I See the Stars, and Hear the Mighty Thunder

Thy Power Throughout the Universe Displayed

When a volcano and a lightning storm make love.

As I prepared for the service this week, I was repeatedly awed by the beauty the song invokes. Each verse invites the singer to consider the grandeur of Creation, the immensity of the galaxies, the might of a thunderstorm, the peace of a meadow, the song of a bird, the caress of a breeze. From each image, we are turned toward the Great Artist, the Conductor of the Symphony of the Cosmos, and erupt in ardent praise at the inspiration of God’s Masterpiece.

Then Sings My Soul

My Saviour, God, to Thee

How Great You Are

How Great You Are

It’s a good song.

It occurred to me this week that I rarely hear songs of this type written for church anymore. More commonly, I hear new choruses that outline theology. As beautiful and rich as the theology may be, these songs often encourage us to engage the Almighty with our minds first, not the physical world. Most often, I hear songs about us, songs that describe back to God all the good ways we feel personally about divine love and grace. I don’t believe that either of these approaches are necessarily wrong, but I do think we may glean something from the omission of our real, physical world from the church’s creative culture.

There was a time when I weighted intellectual theology even more heavily than I do now. During that season, I attended a wedding where they sang the old hymn, All Creatures of Our God and King. It was beautiful. Nevertheless I remember being smugly judgmental of how little I felt the song explicitly said of "deep" theology (as I understood it). Last week, I returned to this song. I feel much differently, now.

This beloved hymn, (originally called Canticle of the Sun), was written in Italian by Saint Francis of Assisi (for whom the current Pope is named), has been sung the world round for hundreds of years, and is so well known that even the usually indiscernible Mr. Bean can make out the melody and chorus. Like How Great Thou Art, it invites us to allow Creation to turn our hearts to the Creator. In fact, it suggests that Creation itself, in its beauty, is herself raising her voice in praise to the Source of All Life, if only we would listen to her.

If I were an octopus, I'd praise the Lord for my good looks.

All of this is reflected in scripture.

The Eagle Nebula

David said (Psalm 19:1-3),

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
     and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech,
     and night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words,
     whose voice is not heard.”

And in Psalm 24 (the first two verses),

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
     the world, and all who live in it;

for he founded it on the seas
     and established it on the waters.”

And in Psalm 92:4-5

“For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;

    at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

 How great are your works, O Lord!

    Your thoughts are very deep!”

Here and throughout the Psalms, the most famous of our ancient religious songwriters established a tradition of seeing the glory of God in the Masterpiece of Creation.

But what really got me thinking about this last week was actually an unfortunate line at the end of the hymn How Great Thou Art.In the stanza that once was my favourite, we sing these unfortunate lines:

When Christ Shall Come

With Shouts of Acclamation

And Take me Home

What Joy Shall Fill My Heart

The offending line is the third one. How is it that the writer of this hymn, so enraptured by the splendour of the earth and heavens for stanza after stanza, should be so quickly filled with joy at the thought of escaping them? The simple answer is that he didn’t.

Like Canticle of the Sun and scores of other classics, this song was not originally written in English. It's an old song, from 1885, and was originally written in Swedish.

In its earliest English translation (1925), this is the stanza that comes closest to the one I quoted above.

And when at last the mists of time have vanished

And I in truth my faith confirmed shall see,

Upon the shores where earthly ills are banished

I’ll enter Lord, to dwell in peace with thee.

(Here is the whole original translation, O Mighty God)

As is common in the history of hymns, like a folk song this one has morphed and changed and adapted with each new generation, denomination, or artistic interpretation. Like many of our most cherished songs, this one also carries with it the marks of our church's history. As our perspectives and priorities change, our old songs carry the evidence like rings of a fallen oak.

The history of the song has taken many paths. One different branch had this verse at the end, finalized in 1995:

And when at last, the clouds of doubt dispersing,

You will reveal what we but dimly see;

With trumpet call, our great rebirth announcing,

We shall rejoin you for eternity.

This is real. Show of hands: Who wants to turn off the computer and go outside?

I must admit, I prefer the poetry of the classic version. However, I can’t help but be attracted and intrigued by the difference in emphasis this one has. Rather than escape, this verse reminds us of a rebirth, and that after a time of incomplete understanding, toward an eternity of reconciliation of Creation with the divine (see 1 Cor 13:9-13).

But not all our songs are so old. In my tradition, I was hardly ever even introduced to a Christian song written any earlier than the 1960s. This was the decade of the Jesus People, the powerful new emerging voice in the North American church that began changing the culture of our faith as the Baby Boomers reached voting age. As these hippy Christians got older, their perspectives became the new norm for North American Evangelicalism. Theirs has been the strongest force shaping the culture of the church since the sixties, even until today. For Christian music, movies, politics, and televangelism as we know it today (and it is that new), we should consider this hippy generation largely responsible.

I must confess that I actually do love the music of the early Jesus People movement. A longtime favourite of mine has always been Larry Norman.

Shown here holding his head down so his mind isn't blown by that picture of the Crab Nebula.

His first major studio album, Only Visiting this Planet, was put together with the help of Beatle's producer George Martin at AIR Studios, and it is fantastic. I especially recommend the songs Great American Novel and Six'o'Clock News.

This classic early Jesus People album is aptly named, and can give is a hint of some of the major cultural paradigms for this emerging generation. In one song, Larry Norman uses the famous phrase, "This world is not my home, I’m just passing through”. This statement became a central one for the Jesus People, and is still used today, sung in folk and popular songs (including Tom Wait's great recent album, Mule Variations), referenced in sermons and passed about on the Internet. The classic old Christian folk song I Wish We'd All Been Ready was introduced to the world on this album. The song eerily describes a future event when all Christians may be whisked away from the earth, rescued just in time before it's all burned away. The words "Left Behind" are repeated in every chorus, and have since become internationally omnipresent, inspiring a hugely successful book series and franchise by the same name.

Hundreds and thousands of young people came into the evangelical fold in Larry Norman's time, bringing with them a vitality and excitement long lost to the old faithful of their day. Their desire for a real, active, personal, and miraculous faith revolutionized the church. They believed and preached an imminent return of Christ. This urgency and focus on personal relationship with God harmonized well with the drop out culture and hedonism of the post-hippy era. At its best, it revitalized a religion gone stale by tradition. Unfortunately, at its worst, it replaced the me-first hedonism of the hippies with a me-first religion that turned God into our all-powerful buddy, and the drop-out culture with a Christian escapism that no longer need be concerned with the plight of the world.

And this unfortunate reality witnessed widely within the culture of North American Evangelicalism today.

While I truly welcome a personal faith in a loving God, many Christians of my generation have grown tired of an overly personalized and simplified gospel that has grown stale. And for many outside our faith, what was once a vibrant new attractive movement has become as offensive and irrelevant as the dry traditions were to the baby boomers before us. People who don’t believe as we do should rightly be offended at the idea of us looking forward to being whisked away from an earth as they're left upon it to burn away. But is that what our faith is really about? If not, for what hope should we live?

Pictured above: One of many reasons to live.

In the first chapter of Genesis, God said Creation was “very good” multiple times. We Evangelicals do tend to focus on the corruption of the Fall because of its centrality in the doctrine of salvation. But let us not forget how intentionally the Bible describes the creation of the Earth and all of the cosmos. The story in Genesis does indeed show the Creator condescending to invite humankind to participate, first in the command to be fruitful and multiply (the same command given to every living thing, multiple times, before mankind was Created) and have dominion (a command that invokes stewardship of another’s property, not subjugation), but also following that by inviting active participation asking the first person to name all the animals. Notice that nowhere in the text does it say that the Earth was created for humans. The Earth and everything in it, humans included, remain the Creator’s alone, by and for the glory of God.

Pictured above: Glow-in-the-dark fungus. Hanging out. Glorifying God.

This did not change after the Fall.

Genesis 8:21-22 (ESVUK–God speaks to Noah, after the Flood)

Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.

How long shall the earth remain?

Genesis 9:11-16 (ESVUK)

I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

Sometimes we can use the reassurance.

Some do argue that God left a loophole in the covenant, since it only mentions water, and not other means of destruction, such as fire. I believe such interpretations unnecessarily regard the Creator as a somewhat deceptive lawyer character, when the text very clearly says that an annihilation of the earth even as destructive as the Flood will never again occur. And this covenant is not only with humanity, but with every living creature.

The earth, and life upon it, will continue.

Ecclesiastes 1:4 (ESVUK)

A generation goes, and a generation comes,

    but the earth remains for ever.

Psalm 104:5 (ESVUK)

He set the earth on its foundations,

    so that it should never be moved.

There are places in the Bible that do, in fact appear to describe the earth as passing away or being destroyed (2 Peter 3:7-13, Hebrews 1:10-12 and Malachi 4:1, for example). But the word describing the passing away of the earth (aperchomai) is not utter destruction, but a change from the old way of being to follow after something new, of departing evils and sufferings. We believe the same thing about God’s redemption of a human being.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESVUK)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Bullfrog. See also: Butterfly. They used to look different.

Of course, we don’t interpret this to mean that a person literally burns to a cinder and is replaced by a new individual when they put their faith in Jesus. We needn’t place this interpretation on God’s redemption of the earth, either.

We have a future hope for a renewal of all things to God’s original intended purpose. And the hope is not described in the Bible as a handful of righteous Christians being whisked away from the corrupted earth in the nick of time, but rather a beautiful picture of heaven itself coming down toward earth.

Revelation 21:1-5 (ESVUK)

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 any more, 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.”

The promise here goes the opposite direction of Christian Escapism. God does not return to whisk us up off the planet, taking us away to some other home. The end of the story instead shows God coming down to earth to be with the Creation, with humanity, and for it all to be redeemed according to its original purpose. Revelation does not say that God will make all new things, but that God will make “all things new”. The earth is certainly not as it should be, but if we believe God may create everything from a void in Genesis 1, certainly God may make things new from the substance in which we now live.

Consider these beautiful words concerning the glorious future awaiting not just us, but all of Creation, as we wait for God to fully consummate the just Kingdom.

Romans 8:18-25 (ESVUK)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

The Red Rectangle Nebula. Yes, it's really called that.

Just as we hope for our full redemption, spirit, soul, and body, when we put our faith in Jesus, so also may we hope in the redemption of the whole of Creation.

In the famous Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5, Jesus says that those persecuted for righteousness (v10), and those poor in spirit (v3) are blessed for “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. That’s a present reality. In contrast, he says in verse five that “the meek shall inherit the earth” (v5). That’s a future reality. In verse thirteen, Jesus describes his followers as “the salt of the earth”.

We are not salt in an earth that is quickly spoiling, but in the earth we will one day inherit.

We are sent into the earth as ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven, the realm of God’s authority and rule that exists today. The Kingdom of Heaven is alive and active among us right now, and a material, physical, incorruptible human being, Jesus, is King of that kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven was inaugurated on earth by the completion of Jesus’ mission when he defeated sin and death by his death and resurrection. And in this hope of our future resurrection we now live in faith.

And that resurrection is not for us alone, but for all of this Creation. Revelation 21 and 22 tells us the story not of Christians being rescued from a dying earth into heaven, but of all of Heaven coming down to an earth redeemed and restored, incorruptible, and in God’s perfect plan. Plants, animals, and geological formations still exist for eternity, and we with it.

And until then we live in the reality of his kingdom rule as it grows in the earth all around us. Our faith is active and physical and real.

As citizens of Heaven, we do not long for the day we will be rescued and taken home. We live as citizens of Heaven in a land not our own, but making it ours by proclaiming the truth of the new king’s rule, and demonstrating the culture of the kingdom is now in place. We are ambassadors. We are intercessors, praying on behalf of a world that does not yet entirely know its’ king.

The Earth Is Our Home.

We Are Not Just Passing Through.

1 Corinthians 15:54-58 (ESVUK)

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

   “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory?

   O death, where is your sting?”

 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.

YOUR LABOUR IS NOT IN VAIN.

This is our hope. This verse says that our labour now on earth, this beautiful earth of God’s loving Creation is not in vain because Jesus has conquered death, and because we know we will be resurrected to live imperishable on God’s good earth. Our work here on earth will last in eternity, not just in a heavenly history book, but as a real piece of God’s Kingdom here on earth.

Just as Jesus carried in his flesh the marks of his death, our works done in faith for God’s Kingdom will be seen in the New Earth that God makes, from this one.

Until then , we continue to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

We pray because we long for this to be true, and we act according to the authority of the righteous king of whom we are ambassadors. Our prayers do not stay in the closet or on the floor by our bed. We see them evidenced in our life as we not only tell the groaning world in darkness of the truth of the light of Christ, but we show them it is so in our actions and by our lives. We live humbly and generously, as Christ before us who gave his all. We speak out for the oppressed and the imprisoned. We live for justice for all of humanity that is made in the same image of God as we are.

We need not be bound by every culture and paradigm of the religious generations before us. It is no heresy to recognize the weaknesses in our own faith and belief. Let us write new songs. Let us foster a rich, deep theology that encourages us to participate in the works of justice and renewal and rebirth that are happening on the earth all around us, today. Let us not be tempted by the neo-pseudo-gnostic culture of inaction and apathy to the plight of Creation, the Earth and all her creatures, that has become so widespread among our brothers and sisters. Let us spread good news, of real, tangible, measurable change because of the cross, the empty tomb, and God’s living spirit in the world. And let us show in our actions that we really believe that this earth, the plants and creatures upon it, and every human are God’s alone.

Crystal Cave of Svinafellsjokull, in Iceland.

Let us be moved again with awesome wonder by the beauty of all God’s hands hath made.

Let us get our hands dirty in the soil of Creation, our home, and participate together in its redemption back to the beautiful, sustainable, just, peaceful garden God always intended it to be.

☠

Starting Next Week (April 9-17ish) – Ephesians - Theology as Poetry

Most of these images are public domain, and came to me from this Cracked article and also this Cracked article.