March 30, 2022

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

Colossians 1:13–14

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Philippians 1:6–7

Tom Petty was right - the waiting is the hardest part. Stories of healing in the Gospels call our wonder in Christ to the forefront of our minds. But they also make us take a hard look at our present circumstances. We see the immediate healings and can’t help but wonder what our lives would look like if Jesus brought about immediate restoration in our own bodies, in our own jobs, and our own marriages. Of course, we know that the leper of Luke 5 didn’t spring into existence (leprosy and all) right before he encountered Jesus - but our reading often results in that very assumption. The Leper,  and Paralytic along with his friends knew the struggle of waiting for relief and deliverance. If we receive and rest upon Jesus as he is offered to us by the Father in the Gospels - we kingdom citizens now, even though the fullness of that kingdom is still forthcoming. We may be lonely in our
circumstances, but in Christ we are never abandoned. We may be frustrated by our sin, or limiting circumstances, but in Christ we are never sent adrift. Many of us long for answers to questions no human can provide - but Christ will not leave us in the lurch. The arrival of Sunday, and the Call to Worship are reminders in our week that God in Christ has called us to a promised Kingdom - and the reality of that Kingdom is as solid as He who has promised it.

—MATT ALLHANDS