Farther Along...


I just got finished watching the series finale of The Office. And I wept.

I literally sat there bawling like a baby. It was the end of a 9 season long era. As I sat there, I realized these tears- they go so much deeper than a silly show ending. That show is a fabricated view of reality, but something about it strikes the depths of my soul. At the core and foundation of who we are - image bearers of the King of Kings - we are created to worship. We are created to give all of who we are to something- to be a part of something great and grand. We are created to drink deeply of life, to know joy, to walk in love, to be known, to experience intimacy, to be invested in the lives and stories of others. 

The problem with all of this is sin. Sin came into the world in Genesis 3 and we see the order and beauty of creation destroyed. Since then, our world has been fractured with misplaced identity, an incorrect view of joy, unbalanced hope, unfulfilling "fulfillment", temporary sustainment, etc... Instead of finding our worth and value in our Creator, and who we are in Him (His image bearers), we look everywhere else.

So you have The Office. You watch these men and women grow in relationship, make memories, live life...you see marriage, divorce, children, retirement, laughter, inside jokes, the beauty of normalcy. You see this community and this depth and to the core of who you are you scream "I WANT THAT!" We were created for that- but, in our broken state, we have an incorrect and misplaced view of what that is. 

We were created to experience that through intimacy with Christ.

2 Corinthians 5 talks about this incredible invitation that Christ extends to us, as His disciples. From the beginning of creation to the return of Christ, there is a magnificent story unfolding. The story of redemption and all things being made new. As believers, we have experienced that newness partially. We are saved from the depths of our sin and the wrath of God- but we are still awaiting the return of Jesus and the redemption of the universe. Until then, there IS a story unfolding. And we are invited in.

"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
2 Corinthians 5:16-21

For the believer in Christ, THIS is where hope, joy, and freedom comes. We are saved. Not only are we saved FROM something, but we are saved TO something- to something so great and so grand that we can't fully describe it. We are invited to be ambassadors; the representatives of our eternal Kingdom in the presence of the King of Kings. We are invited to preach the gospel, to invite others into the same hope we have in salvation, to extend the reconciliation of God. It is through this call and this invitation, that we can walk fully in the truth Jesus shared in John 10- He came to give life and give it abundantly. 

Through Jesus Christ, we can experience the fullness and beauty of marriage. Why? Because it's a depiction of Christ and His pursuit of His bride, the church. 

Through Jesus Christ, we can experience the fullness and beauty of children. Why? Because it's a depiction of the way our Father God loves and cares for His children. 

Through Jesus Christ, we can experience the fullness and beauty of friendship and community. Why? Because it's a depiction of the Trinity and the union the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have.

Through Jesus Christ, we can experience the fullness and beauty of work and labor. Why? Because it's a depiction of God's work of creation and it is good. (work was in the garden BEFORE sin!)

Through Jesus Christ, we can experience the fullness and beauty of life. Why? Because it's a depiction of God's unique design of creation. - Psalm 139.


There's a song by Josh Garrels that has always struck a deep chord in my heart. Listen to this and read the lyrics. "There's so much more to life than we've been told, and it's full of beauty that will unfold..." That beauty unfolding is through the work of Christ. There's nothing more beautiful. It's permeates to the core of our being and ignites a fire that nothing in this world can eliminate. So, that's why we press on. That's why we persevere. That's why we preach Jesus, love others, and wait expectantly for His return. We keep our eyes fixed on our home and the eternal weight of glory that awaits us. We hope in Christ- and it's a hope that will not, ever, put us to shame.


Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9





Farther along we'll know all about it 
Farther along we'll understand why 
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine 
We'll understand this, all by and by 

Tempted and tried, I wondered why 
The good man died, the bad man thrives 
And Jesus cries because he loves em' both 
We're all cast-aways in need of ropes 
Hangin' on by the last threads of our hope 
In a house of mirrors full of smoke 
Confusing illusions I've seen 

Where did I go wrong, I sang along 
To every chorus of the song 
That the devil wrote like a piper at the gates 
Leading mice and men down to their fate
But some will courageously escape 
The seductive voice with a heart of faith 
While walkin' that line back home 

There's so much more to life than we've been told 
It's full of beauty that will unfold 
And shine like you struck gold my wayward son 
That deadweight burden weighs a ton 
Go down into the river and let it run 
And wash away all the things you've done 
Forgiveness alright 

Chorus 

Still I get hard pressed on every side 
Between the rock and a compromise 
Like the truth and pack of lies fightin' for my soul 
And I've got no place left go 
Cause I got changed by what I've been shown 
More glory than the world has known 
Keeps me ramblin' on 

Skipping like a calf loosed from its stall 
I'm free to love once and for all 
And even when I fall I'll get back up 
For the joy that overflows my cup 
Heaven filled me with more than enough 
Broke down my levee and my bluff 
Let the flood wash me 

And one day when the sky rolls back on us 
Some rejoice and the others fuss 
Cause every knee must bow and tongue confess 
That the son of god is forever blessed 
His is the kingdom, we're the guests 
So put your voice up to the test 
Sing Lord, come soon 

Comments

Popular Posts