FIRST LOOKS: Here we take a look at the theme of the coming week.
THE COMING JOYFUL DAY
This Sunday is Jubilate,or “Joyful.” On this day we consider what it means to live in joyful anticipation of the coming perfect and everlasting Joy that will be ours when we are fully united with our Savior in heaven.
On this Sunday get a sense of just why the Gospel of Christ is so relevant to everyone on earth – and yet a little strange. The Gospel of Christ is for every human being of any human culture, but it is not of any human culture. The Gospel of Christ is important to every person on earth precisely because none of us will live forever on this earth.
In our Epistle reading for today (and sermon text) Peter helps us ponder the fact that we live in this world as foreigners, as outsiders – and yet we do live in this world. Therefore our lives very much involve day-to-day living, and are wrapped up in the very physical life of eating, sleeping, being sick or well, marriage, becoming parents, age, and finally death.
But here is the key: As Christ went through the suffering of this life to a very real and physical resurrection, with a very real and physical joy in heaven, so we also pass through this world as “on-the way” to perfect joy in the place that He has prepared for us.
This world dies; we look forward to eternal life.
This world suffers under sin’s curse; we are on the way to a place where the curse is lifted.
The world has no hope in itself; our hope is in the true and perfect Savior, Jesus Christ.
This “otherworldness” shows in the way that we live – giving comfort and help to those in the trials of life, yet reserving our full and final hope for heaven.
This “otherworldness” shows in the way that we worship – with relevant applications of God’s word, but joining with all the saints on earth, and all the saints and angels of heaven to give praise to Christ for a salvation that counts not only on earth but in heaven.