News - November 2021 RSS Feed

"It's not like it's the end of the world," we often say when circumstances may seem unpleasant or unfortunate - yet not as bad as they could be. The "end of the world" seems to indicate the ultimate in "bad and unfortunate!" This First Sunday of Advent we hear about the actual "end of the world." Amidst the dire predictions - and they are dire - let's not overlook the note of hope and expectation at the Second Coming of the Lord.

I once heard a conference speaker say that there is only one real question in the universe - "Who is going to rule?" Over the years, I have come to see the accuracy of that insight. We see it at work in human society for sure, but it is absolutely true in a wider sense. Who is going to rule the world? Who is going to rule the universe? Well, we know the ultimate answer to that question, and we celebrate it today: Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe!

Today's readings describe the end of time, the second coming of Christ, and all the cataclysmic events surrounding those events. They tell us what is going to happen. The question of when it will all happen is not answered. So, this Sunday's readings leave us with how to prepare for our own end of life as well as for the end of all things.

God has been extravagantly generous with us. And God appreciates it when we are extravagantly generous with him. Today we hear about two widows, both of whom gave what they had - all they had - and received the Lord's blessing for having done so.

Have you ever wondered about that? The Book of Revelation gives us some ideas, or at least some glimpses, as it pulls back the veil. It seems that there is magnificent worship going on in heaven! We see snapshots of this worship taking place. In this article, I would like to take a closer look at this heavenly worship. So, this blog will be a little different in that I will let the words of Scripture speak more loudly than my own...I hope! I invite you to prayerfully consider what is being uttered as worship takes place in heaven.