Eternity

I really like to think about one particular aspect of God: His eternity. 

What does that mean? I was reminded of it a few weeks ago when Mike's Sunday morning study of Revelation came to Chapter 1, Verse 19. It goes like this: "Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things." That is the past, the present and the future.

Revelation is full of rather strange, cryptic, symbolic language and this reference seems to be, at least in part, about the nature of God. God, you see, was here before time, is here during time and will be here after time. 

When Moses met God at the burning bush and asked God what his name was, God said “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 

And when Jesus spoke of that encounter in Mark 12:26-27 he used that expression ("I Am") to explain that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. He referred to God saying "I Am" the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, indicating that the three fathers of the Israelites were still alive, though their bodies had been buried long before.

I like to think of God living in something of a parallel universe that has no beginning or end. He has always been there. Time means nothing to him. He is as much at the burning bus on Sinai as He is in your living room and office right now, and is at the judgement and beyond. He sees all time and all places at the same time. It begins to give you a bit of a picture of the power of God and of His understanding.

The Lord's Prayer Part 3

FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER. AMEN.

• In some of your translations this sentence is in brackets. Others have omitted it altogether.
• What that is about is that the earliest manuscripts don’t have this passage. And if they don’t, the translators expect that it was not in the original either.
• I still use it. That’s the way I learned the prayer and it just feels incomplete without this section.
• There is certainly nothing objectionable about it. Whoever added it was paying respect to God and tying the prayer all together with this final praise.
• And you should feel free to add your own praise to the end, the beginning, or the middle of the prayer.
• I do encourage you to pray this prayer from time to time. There may be elements to our prayers that we have forgotten and this can serve as a reminder.
• When you pray it, pause at each phrase and think about what it means to you. You will likely come up with thoughts that are different from mine.
• And at the end think about the kingdom and the power and the glory of God.

INVITATION

•  Maybe you don’t pray much or haven’t in a long time. Maybe you are having a hard time connecting with God.
• Or maybe you just want help getting to know God.
• Or maybe you have made a decision you want the church to know about.
• Whatever your desire, please come to the front of the auditorium while we stand and sing this song.