Last spring I preach a short sermon series entitled "Threads." The series was a look at the wonder of God's providence. It was an extremely practical study as we considered the implications of a universe created by God, broken due to human rebellion, rescued through the work of Jesus, heading towards a certain destination and being presently restored by Christ through His church. The phrase that captured my imagination in my preparation was the phrase, "Eden Everywhere!" Why? Because "Eden Everywhere" was the original intent of God in creation and will be the ultimate result of His completed work at Christ's second Advent.
At our church, Harbor Chula Vista, we just celebrated Advent. We discussed Christ's first Advent which took place in real time history 2,000 years ago when Jesus came to "make His blessings flow far as the curse is found" as penned by Isaac Watts in the hymn Joy To The World. Joy to the world indeed! Through the person and work of Jesus Christ salvation is not only brought to the souls of men but to the whole of creation-animate and inanimate things alike. Jesus came to restore the universe to an Edenic state and He will do so comprehensively at His second Advent when He returns in glory as Judge of all the earth.
So, what's wrong with this picture? Nothing really, but we live in what theologians term the "already, not yet" of God's Kingdom. In our Edenic vocabulary, it means that Eden is already being restored but will not ultimately be restored until Christ's return at a future date. But it also means that none of our work is in vain. Every act of kindness, relationship restored, symphony conducted, garden planted, yard manicured, student taught, product developed, sacrament received, disease cured, etc...is a stanza in God's grand narrative of His historical movement to restore Eden Everywhere.
This all begins with our relationship with Christ, of course. But our relationship with Christ is so much more comprehensive than I often hear "Christians" or "Evangelicals" speak of it. Christ came to restore all things beginning with the human soul and extending to a renewed ozone layer. Eden Everywhere begins with your commitment to trust Christ as personal and cosmic Redeemer. It begins with repentance that basically is a commitment to turn from all God and man dishonoring behavior along with all activities that add to further disintegration of the created order. As you and I consider New Year's resolutions perhaps a renewed commitment to restoring Eden Everywhere could be a guiding principle in 2012!
Have a safe and happy new year!
