[Monday's Devotional] - When you don't know the end of the story...

I've recently been teaching a new Christian. We hadn't got very far past the story of Jesus' death and resurrection and our necessary response when she came up with a great question:

'So, what happened after Jesus rose from the dead? When did he die after that? Or did he go into hiding?

'Oops!' (I thought to myself) 'I forgot to mention the Ascension'.

We take it for granted that people know the 'end of the story' but why should they? And without the Ascension, the Jesus story is incomplete, it leaves hanging the question 'where is he now?' And how does God's story from 2000 years ago connect to my story today in 2012?

What is Jesus doing now that affects me? Hold that thought.

On Ascension Day earlier this month (Thursday 17^th) we began our marathon Bible read through: reading the whole story of God from Genesis to Revelation. For me the most exciting moment in that story is the pause between the final of John's three letters and the Book of Revelation which paints pictures of the end times. Why is this exciting? Because we are in that Gap!

That's where our story fits into God's story and what's more we do know the end of the story. Maybe we don't know all the exact details but we do know that there will come a time when God himself with come to reign, to right wrongs and to bring about a new heaven and a new earth.

What's more, we know where Jesus is now and what he's doing. We know this because he told us (John 14:25-28). But this week I'd like us to keep company with Job who also has things to tell us about the end of the story. His is the oldest book in the Bible but amazingly he points (in faith) to Jesus all the time. Without even knowing the end of the story he has somehow grasped that's it's all going to be okay. And he also expresses for us our longings and hopes.

So here is Job's take on the 'end of the story', the Ascension:

'Even now in fact my witness is in Heaven,

And he that vouches for me is on High'.

Job 16:19

That's a good thought to take into the week ahead.

Sheila Bridge