A Sign of Things to Come (Friday Devotional)

 

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

- Acts 1:8-9

For days, there’s been a red line spray-painted all the way down my street, preparation for some road work the city will be doing in a few weeks. Soon enough the street will be lined with construction vehicles, orange traffic cones, and debris. The normal quiet of a weekday afternoon will be interrupted by the noise of jackhammers and steamrollers. By the time they’re done, potholes will be filled and rough places will be paved.

But for now, things remain as they are. And while we wait, that red spray-painted line stands as a sign of what is to come.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left his followers with two things, a promise and a mission. The promise was that he would return to complete the redemptive work his death and resurrection guaranteed. Soon all the world would see the prophesied Day of the Lord, when God would judge the living and the dead and restore creation to its intended glory. Soon all the world would fully know the eternal life the resurrected Lord embodied.

But in the meantime, things didn’t appear to be so different. The world had forever changed on Easter Sunday, but it wasn’t fully evident. So what Jesus left in the meantime was a mission—that anyone who believed in him should bear witness to the promise, that his disciples should joyfully announce to the world what was coming. The world would need a sign that restoration was on its way, and Jesus called us to be that sign.

To this day, the world is waiting for God to do the long-promised ‘road work’ that will come at Christ’s return. In the meantime, we are called to remain a red line in the road showing people what is coming, bearing witness to his grace and truth. In a world with destructive instincts, we are called to be constructive. In a world that breaks people down, we are called to lift people up. In a world of cruelty, we are called to be agents of redemption. Soon God will make the crooked places straight and the rough places plain—for now may we be an effective sign, pointing in word and deed to that promise.