Symbol: Cluster of grapes
Hymns: Open My Eyes That I May See; Now Thank We All Our God
The message of this day from our time together with our church, both morning and evening, was forgiveness. Out of the depth of the forgiveness that I have personally received, I should, as a regular matter of course, extend forgiveness to others.
As I am blessed, so I ought bless.
This land of blessing for Israel as God's chosen people, through whom He would bless the world with Messiah Jesus, was a step toward a return to the Garden. But it was not the Garden. It was not God's end-game.
Let's not too quickly project forward to the Edenic idyll of the hope of heaven as the end to which The Promised Land points, either. While there is certainly some correspondence and connectedness, I don't think God's provision of the Promised Land of Blessing to Israel was meant to pre-figure heaven as the ultimate resort destination.
If I'm honest, though, that's how I often think of heaven. It's the Club Med I long for.
No. This Promised Land of Blessing to which Israel came, this real Heaven hope toward which we yearn, both real places in time and eternity, have as their center of gravity a rude and rough livestock manger—where power is displayed in helplessness and utter dependence, Skull Hill and a splinter-filled torture- and killing-tool cross—where Love poured out His life to pay my sin-debt, and an empty grave—where Holiness displayed all Authority to declare me FORGIVEN!
Ride on, Chosen Vessel, toward your birth day as our Emmanuel.
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