Touch the Heart

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.(1 Corinthians 2:9)

Only the poet, with his ability to touch the heart through images of all that is good, all that is holy, all that we love and all that we long for — only the poet could even begin to express what is neither seen nor heard nor conceived in the heart of man. It would seem that this particular passage was also one of the Spirit’s favorites since he inspires John to restate it almost a millennia later in the book of Revelation.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a great voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."

Reflection - Alpha and Omega


http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/031218.cfm
Isaiah 65:17-21
John 4:43-54


Isaiah was among the more verbose prophets in Old Testament times; he was also one of the longer lived, exercising his prophetic office for possibly as many as sixty-four years. He carried out his mission between 740 and 675 BC, preaching to both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. He is revered to a greater or lesser extent by Muslims and Mormons as well as Christians and Jews. It is however, texts like the one just read, which endear his writings to me. The Spirit pretty much works with what is available, and in Isaiah he found a poet.

The current passage may sound like pie-in-the-sky; but what words can anyone use to describe the coming reign of God. He wasn’t talking about tomorrow — either his tomorrow or ours. Nor was he talking about a restored kingdom of Israel. Rather, his vision is of what it will be like to have men cooperating in the active reign of God. This is only one of several passages where Isaiah seeks to imagine for us

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.(1 Corinthians 2:9)

Only the poet, with his ability to touch the heart through images of all that is good, all that is holy, all that we love and all that we long for — only the poet could even begin to express what is neither seen nor heard nor conceived in the heart of man. It would seem that this particular passage was also one of the Spirit’s favorites since he inspires John to restate it almost a millennia later in the book of Revelation.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a great voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."

And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water without price from the fountain of the water of life. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son.* (Revelation 21:1-7)

It’s been about 2800 years since Isaiah enlightened the world with the promise of God. It’s been about 2000 years since John recorded for us his own vision. The promise remains; the fulfillment is elusive. In Jesus we found the beginning of the end; but the end of the tunnel is still in darkness. How long, O Lord? How long? In the interim we are destined to struggle along in the ambiguity of our separation from our Father. We know the beginning and the end. The interim evades us. Jesus himself just told us both in the passage from Revelation. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” He says.

John offered words to confirm and explain Jesus’ words at the very beginning of his Gospel: “all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:13) Likewise, Jesus Himself is our destiny; for the Father has “destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” (Ephesians 1:5) Moreover, the plan, the operational blueprint, has been carefully circumscribed.

He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:9-10)

Isaiah’s vision of a new heaven and a new earth is a glorious promise of what is to come, though Isaiah himself could not have understood the path to its realization. John’s vision of a new heaven and a new earth is a vision of the prophet’s promise fulfilled. It is Jesus who is making all things new through their union with Him. When that is complete, and only when that is complete he will announce "It is done!” For he is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, the one through whom all things came to be and the one in whom all things will be united.

Those who climb one or more of Colorado’s fourteeners are driven by a sense of conquest and achievement. They know the beginning; they know the end. They revel in the anticipated view from the top. They “consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed.” (Romans 8:18) And they are only talking about the expansive panorama from the peak and the wonder of getting there. So it is with so much of life’s endeavors and what we are willing to endure.

We too know the beginning and the end — the spiritual beginning and the spiritual end. So we have no choice but to ask: are we spiritually driven towards being able to claim: 

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."

He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son.” Death shall be no more. His son will live.

That is the end. It seems to me it’s worth an active struggle.

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