Look in Both Directions

CONSECRATION Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.  Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you.  Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.  SCRIPTURE Revelation 22:1–7 NIV Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” CONSIDER THIS Advent is a season of tension—of already and not yet. It’s a time for remembering and anticipating, looking back to Christ’s first coming and forward to His promised return. In the tradition I grew up in, Advent often focused on the past—Jesus in the manger, the fulfillment of the long-awaited promise of a Messiah. But as I’ve come to understand it, Advent also invites us to look ahead, to anchor our hope in Christ’s return and the restoration He will bring. Our text today gives us a glimpse of that future. As a whole, the book of Revelation can feel mysterious, overwhelming, and even a bit intimidating. But it’s an important part of Scripture, meant to stir our hearts and evoke response from every generation of the church. As we read the text today, total understanding is not our goal; deep, faith-filled hope in the person of Jesus and His promises is. Here’s what is clear and certain: Jesus will return. Evil will be eradicated, and the curse will be no more. All that has been wrong will be made right and everything that has been broken will be made new. What some see as the end of time is actually a great and glorious beginning—the fulfillment of all God’s promises. The presence of God and the Lamb, once confined to the temple, will now fill all creation. The throne of God will be in the city, where His servants will see His face and bear His name. There will be no night, no need for lamps or even the sun, for God Himself will be their light. God’s servants will rule and reign over creation with God in unbroken relationship and communion forever (vv. 3–5). Talk about something to look forward to! Our hope isn’t hopefulness about a possible future outcome we wish will happen. It’s built on past experience of the promises of God coming to fruition. Looking back helps us to look forward with greater expectation and confidence. Advent invites us to look in both directions—to discover “these words are trustworthy and true” (v. 6), and allow the reality of this hope to change how we live in the present. RESPONSE PROMPTS How have you typically understood Advent? Has it been more about looking back at Christ’s first coming or anticipating His return? What do you think it might look like to hold both together? How might the promise of Christ’s return shape the way you live today? What difference does it make to anchor your hope in this promise? PRAYER Jesus, thank You that You came as a baby, fulfilling the promise of the Messiah. This Advent, teach me more about the significance of Your past arrival, and to hope expectantly for Your return. I look forward to the day in which everything that is wrong will be made right and Your people will live in unbroken communion with You. My hope is in You and You alone. Amen.