December 31, 2015

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.
Revelation 22:17 – 21

“End is not an event but a person. We have good reason then not to try to calculate the date of the end, for he has been, is, and will be. He has come, is here and will come soon. Thirty-three years of humble life in Palestine serve to focus his life for us, but that is a very small slice of who he is, has been, and will be. It is very important for us, but there is much more than we yet know of him. The name Bright Morning Star serves to tie the human and the divine together for us. He comes from the heavenly world but he is also the ruler of Judah (Num 24:17).
This is the one who is coming soon. It would not be good news to be able to say there once was a Jesus, a martyr, a Shoot of David. It is good news to know that he is now alive and coming soon. Those who wash their robes in his blood, who are made clean by his atonement, can enter the Holy City to be with him. There they will find the tree of life, transplanted from Eden (Gen 2:9) from which humanity has been forbidden access by angels (Gen 3:24). Now it is available for all whom the guardian angels permit to enter the city. Life can be prolonged forever by eating of this tree. The olive orchard at Gethsemane was outside the walls, but this one is inside the city where the Lamb is. And access to him is perpetual, since the gates are forever open.” (God’s Song of Revelation: From Easter to Pentecost in the Apocalypse, WENDELL W. FRERICHS, 1986, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota)

I began these devotions as a spiritual exercise and a promise. I made a promise that I would write a devotion every day for a year, and post them on our Facebook page for the church. I have come to the end, the last devotion, and I reach the end of these efforts with a dilemma to face. I would like to take a break from writing, but writing is a devotional exercise for me. I find that I learn more about scripture as I write about a passage. Therefore, I must discern if taking a break is for your benefit, so you seek other places to be fed with G-d’s word, or for my benefit so that I can be fed by others to strengthen my devotions.

The end of the year is a time for beginnings, and endings. When I think about these devotions, I actually began in the middle of December 2014. I have already moved beyond my commitment of a year’s efforts. As you face the challenges that a new year brings into your life, I covet your prayers about my own discernment. Come tomorrow, you will know what my answer will be. If there are no more blogs, no more devotions, no more comments, then my work is done here. And if that is the case, I beg you to continue your own devotions. We all must exercise our spiritual muscles each and every day. Spiritual muscles, and the power of the Holy Spirit are what allow us to face each and every day with faith, with trust, with hope, and with strength. Happy New Year – Blessings to you on the year to come. So, is this the end…?

Pastor Dave