God’s story ends not with rescue from the world, but with God making the world His home.
Revelation gives us a picture of the world made new—a world with God. When we forget that ending, we forget who we are and what God is up to in and among us.
Journaling Prompts
Sit with the idea that God is the First and the Last, the Arche and the Telos, the source and the point, the means and the ends. Spend a moment writing your reflections.
How does the idea that God’s mission in the world is to be with us affirm and challenge your ideas of the Gospel?
If the Church is both a recipient and conduit of God’s withness, how does this shape your understanding of the point of Church? What are some common ways you’ve seen the church stray from this purpose? In what ways have you seen God fulfill this purpose through and maybe in spite of the Church?
Practice — Share
This week, what might it look like to join in the work of providing communion and encounter with God through Redemption Church?
If you’re new to Church consider that your next best step is simply to show up—to participate in what God is doing in our gathered worship. Your presence—sharing yourself—is what God desires most and is your most profound act of sharing. What might it mean for you to commit to showing up through the end of the year?
Or maybe you want to contribute to the ongoing work of Redemption— by supporting our work financially, by inviting a friend or neighbor to join you next week, or by joining one of our teams that helps make our Sundays what they are.
Take some time this week to pray about what it might look like to join in God’s work of presence happening in and through our community.
Generosity