Reflection

Spring is here…but summer is coming! One of the great delights of summer for me is the abundance of beautiful local stone fruits. Peaches, nectarines, plums…mmm, I can taste them already!

In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God told them of the many ways in which this world would now be broken – we often call this the Curse. One aspect would be the difficulty in growing food to meet our needs. Toward the end of Revelation, John paints a beautiful picture of a new heaven and a new Earth, a vision of Eden restored, in which he says there is “no longer…any curse.” The trees of John’s vision don’t just fruit in particular seasons – their crops are abundant all year round. Our society likes to mock the Christian view of heaven as an eternity of boringly plucking at harps, but the vision of the Bible for our future is one of abundance, joy and delight.

Question

What hardships, disappointments or problems challenge you in this life?

How does the contrast of what God offers in eternity give you hope?

Prayer

Loving God, thank you for the hope you give us for the day when the “new heavens and a new Earth” will become a reality. The world around us is full of brokenness and sorrow – thank you for the assurance that a day is coming when gladness and joy replace sorrow and sighing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.