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12 "See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 16 "It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." 17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let everyone who hears say, "Come." And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. 20 The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. (Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 New Revised Standard Version Bible)
Many are wishing, hoping, and/or praying the words of this passage after the events of this week, most sadly, the senseless massacre of the innocents in Uvalde, Texas. And just today we found out the husband of one of the teacher killed, also died, as the family noted, "of grief." Sigh. It made me weep. The woman of his dreams, and with whom he was blessed with four children, could not bear to spend whatever years he had left, without her. Yes, it may have been a heart attack, but one can understand that life is hard to live with a broken heart. Some medical experts believed that Jesus having bled both water and blood from His right side, was due to His heart being broken by our sins. How I wish I could say that our disposition towards sinning had diminished since that day Jesus died for us, but still we live on as sinful people.
The Lord promises that He is coming soon, and when He does, He will arrive with that which we are entitlted to given how we have lived before His eyes; for our work will determine what we will receive; an eternal home in His presence, or an eternity separated from Him. Jesus is the the One Who has always been, and Who always will be. He is called the Alpha and Omega, because in Him we have our beginning and our end. In Him, we have access to the cleansing blood where we can have our being washed and cleaned; the symbolism in this passage is that the robes are really who we are, and in Him we can be made clean; and our purity, thanks to Jesus, will allow us access to the tree of life and entry into the eternal city by the gates. Jesus has made these news public and broadcast to all people through His church, with the invitation from Him that says, "Come." And all who hear His voice, should recognize it and accept it, and also we should say to those who do not yet know, "Come." And all who are thirsty should come, and all who wish to take the water of life as a gitf, come as well. And as this is being said, "Surely I am coming soon." Those who heard it said, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" As should we as well. May our hearts, our lives, our homes, our families, all join in and say, "Yes, come, Lord Jesus! " And then the Bible closes with a blessing, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen."
Not the Bible ever ends, in fact, the Bible is a living book, a book that will never die; and it holds the living hope and promises that sustain and nurture us. It is, to quote the old preachers, "God's love letter to us," a "road map" for life that guides and blessed, corrects, and straightens our paths before the Lord for those who listen and obey. It is the only book I know that can serve as the loving embrace of the Father Who longs to hold those who hurt, mourn, and weep.
Dear one, please know that if you hurt or weep and need a listening ear, please feel free to reach out to me, or your pastor, or a dear friend. We journey through life together and together we can see it through in a better, if not easier way.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as we pray, hold us tight in Your loving embrace. Our hearts are heavy from the sadness and grief of this tragic week. We cannot make sense of any of it, but we know we need only know one thing; You are with us. So, bless us and comfort us, and share Your comfort with those families, schools, governments, etc., who need Your presence. We pray that You be glorified; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be the arms who can hold others in need today.
Receive my blessing of hope and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
PRAYER UPDATE: Dear friends, this has been a difficult week for so many. I regret sharing the news that Baby Hudson, who fought so valiently for so long died today, Thursday, as well. I am thankful that his grandmother was able to see him and touch him when praying. May God comfort her and all the family. Also, The Rev. Michael Dobbs, pastor in Mathis and Alice, TX, will be undergoing surgery today, Friday in San Antonio. This will be an overnight procedure and we pray for a success in the surgery and a speedy recovery. Prayers for his wife, Olga, and their children. Our hope continues to be in the Lord. We continue to trust in the Lord!
