Dec 22 – The In-Between
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.“
The book of Revelation is not the book we generally turn to in order to read the Christmas story, but our passage today certainly tells the whole story of Jesus.
As we read this letter which is addressed to “the seven churches,” we may think the message is for specific churches “back in the day,” but that is not the case.
The word “seven” represents a complete whole, so the seven churches represents all the churches everywhere for all time. Yes, that includes us. This message is as relevant for us today as it was to the original hearers. And what a message it is!
This letter is a revelation of Jesus by Jesus. When Jesus calls himself the Alpha and Omega (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet), Jesus is saying that He is the beginning and ending of all things, even humanity. So, what does it mean that God is the beginning of us and the ending of us? Let’s break it down and make it personal.
To say that God is the beginning of you means that God created you and has a plan for you. God doesn’t do anything by accident, so God created you because there is something He wants you to do that no one else can. (That’s pretty powerful, wouldn’t you say?)
To say that God is the ending of you means that one day you will return to God to give an account of your life and what you did with that life.
Now, here’s the kicker: since Jesus is the beginning and Jesus is the end, who do you suppose must be in the middle? That’s right – Jesus! Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega of your life, and He wants to be your priority in-between.
Today’s passage reminds us that our salvation is the whole reason Jesus came in the first place: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood…to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen,” and Amen!
Lord Jesus, thank you for choosing me. I choose you. Help me to make you a priority in my daily life, and may I never forget the reason you came to earth in the first place: to save me. Amen.
Pastor Tina Hosler