It’s time for another edition of Monday Matters! 

Last week, we reflected on N.T. Wright’s book The Challenge of Jesus. This week, we pivot to Surprised by Hope, which explores the mission of the church in light of Jesus’ resurrection–in particular, what will be made of that mission when the new heavens and new earth come to fruition?

Here at CCF, we derive much of our work from the reality that many Christians believe the work of their pastors, priests, etc. is more significant than their own vocation. But if we accept Wright’s argument below, we understand we must come to understand the eternal significance and impact of our work, too, even if it isn’t overtly labeled as “ministry.”

As you read the excerpt below, begin to imagine what the “new heavens and new earth” God promises in Scripture will be like.

“…what we can and must do in the present, if we are obedient to the gospel, if we are following Jesus, and if we are indwelt, energized, and directed by the Spirit, is to build for the kingdom. This brings us back to 1 Corinthians 15:58 once more: what you do in the Lord is not in vain. You are not oiling the wheels of a machine that’s about to roll over a cliff. You are not restoring a great painting that’s shortly going to be thrown on the fire. You are not planting roses in a garden that’s about to be dug up for a building site. You are – strange though it may seem, almost as hard to believe as the resurrection itself – accomplishing something that will become in due course part of God’s new world.

Every act of love, gratitude, and kindness; every work of art or music inspired by the love of God and delight in the beauty of his creation; every minute spent teaching a severely handicapped child to read or to walk; every act of care and nurture, of comfort and support, for one’s fellow human beings and for that matter one’s fellow nonhuman creatures; and of course every prayer, all Spirit-led teaching, every deed that spreads the gospel, builds up the church, embraces and embodies holiness rather than corruption, and makes the name of Jesus honored in the world – all of this will find its way, through the resurrecting power of God, into the new creation that God will one day make. That is the logic of the mission of God. God’s recreation of his wonderful world, which began with the resurrection of Jesus and continues mysteriously as God’s people live in the risen Christ and in the power of his Spirit, means that what we do in Christ and by the Spirit in the present is not wasted. It will last all the way into God’s new world. In fact, it will be enhanced there.”

Food for thought:

Your vocation–no matter what it is–can contribute to God’s new creation in very concrete ways. What parts of your vocation might find a place in God’s redeemed creation?

We’d love to hear your thoughts below!