By Michael C. Mack
Here’s some good news: 2020 is over! We can all breathe a sigh of relief . . . maybe. We can look at 2020’s problems in the rearview mirror . . . maybe. This year, 2021, will be much better; no more diseases, death, destruction, or political disarray . . . well, probably not. But our all-powerful God is still on his throne . . . definitely!
The fact is, we don’t know what will come in 2021, which is why, as Christ followers, we trust God with whatever will happen. We remember that Jesus is Lord of our lives. We remember that our all-powerful and loving Father, our King, is on his throne and everything is ultimately under his control. We remember that, as Christians, God’s Spirit indwells us, empowers us, and guides us. We remember that, as disciples of Jesus, we are sent into the world to share his good news of salvation through him. We are his ambassadors who share his message of reconciliation that he accomplished on the cross. Each of us has the responsibility as a Christ follower to tell others the meaning of this Communion meal.
One thing we know for sure: A day will come when there truly will be no more diseases, death, destruction, or political disarray. It’s described in the Bible as the time when Jesus, the Lamb who has taken away our sins, returns . . . when the new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven from God . . . when God will dwell personally with his people . . . when we will be his people, and God himself will be with us and be our God (Revelation 21:2-4).
That may happen this year . . . maybe not. We don’t know when Jesus will return, and so we remember what the Bible tells us, that we must keep watch (Matthew 24:42, 44; 25:13). We must remain faithful to Jesus to grow closer to him and to his mission.
In the meantime, we gather as a community of God’s people to remember what Jesus did on the cross for us. We take bread that represents his body and eat from it. We take the cup that symbolizes his blood shed for us, and we drink. And every day, we proclaim with John, who wrote Revelation, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus”! (Revelation 22:20).
Michael C. Mack serves as editor of Christian Standard.
Author: Michael C. Mack
Michael C. Mack is editor of Christian Standard. He has served in churches in Ohio, Indiana, Idaho, and Kentucky. He has written more than 25 books and discussion guides as well as hundreds of magazine, newspaper, and web-based articles.
Yes, the only way to look is forward. Let us not say to others or ourselves, “It’s not like the good ol’ days like in 2020.”