It’s crazy to me how the adjective surreal has now become so commonplace in describing the new norm.  Globally, life continues to shift overnight in a daily expected pattern.  The fictitious scenarios we were imagining and cynically labeling “ridiculous” in January, have now shut us in our houses.  Social media platforms that recently displayed Denver’s over-achieving travelers with their copious selfies, and their “you’ll never guess where I am today” tags, are now being replaced with the hottest new lines of face masks.  And yet, 2K years ago, we were told this would happen…

 

Matthew 24:

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains."

 

Wow...birth pains, huh?  What an extremely appropriate metaphor.  That moment when the young mother-to-be least expects it, & then BAAM!!  Being a father of 3, I can definitely relate to those alarming situations - not knowing if the mere trimmers are happening, or if we need to grab whatever we’ll need for a chaotic zoom for the hospital.  We are watching the Braxton Hicks Contractions of creation unfolding before our eyes. All of the preambles signaling His coming are actually taking place! And yet, the natural fear from all of this seizes a lot of our hearts.  This is what I want to address, especially to all of you whom I love & miss much. Whenever God addressed His people in any way, for any reason, He always prefaced His message with a strong: “Don’t be afraid…”  One of the most timely messages from Jesus is found in John 16:33.

 

"33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 

 

My hope during this time of social-distancing is that you guys would discover the other-worldly excitement of falling on your face before the One who crafted your intensely artistic souls, so that your “joy comes in the morning”, your “sorrow is turned into dancing”, and that you’ll join this aged, artistic soul when the birth pains of creation end.  Paul said it best in Romans 8:

 

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

 

With that, I want to leave with John’s words…

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.  All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.