A Season to Change our Focus

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Scripture:

Rev. 11:14    The second woe has passed. The third woe is coming very soon.
15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Messiah,
and he will reign forever and ever.”

Observation:

In the book of Revelation we have John’s vision of the cosmic forces that are at work. While he was revealing the “woes,” suddenly there was a full stop. Instead of an emphasis on the woe, there was a renewed revelation of the power of God’s kingdom. 

The advent of the second coming of the Messiah is already celebrated in the fact that the kingdom of God is already present but is overcoming and overtaking the kingdoms of the world. Christ will return and will reign over everything forever and ever. 

Application:

On Sunday we will officially enter the season of Advent and it is an invitation to change our focus. All over our world we are facing challenges and turmoil. Look at the tension in the Crimea between Russia and Ukraine. Portions of Ukraine will spend this holiday season under Martial Law. Credible terror threats have been made against governments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and people are urged to seek shelter. Immigrants are struggling for survival all across the globe. Brexit is creating huge tensions in the UK and the EU. And in the midst of it all we receive a report regarding the condition of the very planet on which we live. Merry Christmas! 

Our interconnectedness and access to instant news has the potential of creating a crisis of overload. Just one day in the news-cycle and we can be overcome with woe, wondering what we can do to fix it. Our perspective ought to come right from this passage of Scripture, “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah!” Our daily focus is to be on Christ and the breaking in of the kingdom of God. We are invited to participate in the kingdom of God, not the kingdoms of this world. If we think that we can fix everything happening in this world on our own, we are sadly mistaken. However, if we change our focus and get our direction by living in fellowship with God, then we will know how to join in the breaking in of the kingdom. This may be engagement with earthly powers and authorities but it will be as a result of a focus on God. Direction for engagement will be from God.

The woes do not consume us because we live in the season of advent. The kingdom of God is present and we stop and take a moment to focus on the power and majesty of our Messiah. This is the season in which we intentionally change our focus. Will there still be woes? Yes. But with all of heaven we take the time to stop, praise and worship the One who will reign forever and ever. Then, we roll up our sleeves and partner together working in God’s kingdom.

Prayer:

Lord, I look to you today. May you lead every day of my life and guide me into participation with your kingdom business. Amen.

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