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This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.
From St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 8.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. … For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. (Romans 8:18, 22-24a)
The apostle Paul says all creation is suffering.
In 2014, the congregation my family and I belong to received a beautiful Golden Retriever from Lutheran Church Charities, a comfort dog named Noah. Since then, he has made thousands of visits, bringing a calm and comforting presence during times of heartache and pain. Noah was just over a year old when he arrived. He had a beautiful golden coat and a regal stance. He could walk for miles and run zoomies in our backyard with what seemed like boundless energy.
Now, Noah comfort dog is 13 years old. His face and coat have turned mostly white, and small growths have appeared under his fur. He has trouble hearing. He much prefers to lie on the floor as sitting quickly becomes uncomfortable. A walk is less than a mile, and he does not do zoomies anymore. He stumbles climbing stairs. Age is taking its toll.
If you have watched a pet grow old or have had to say good-bye to one, you know how the words groaning, decay, futility ring. A wildfire destroys the habitat that had been teeming with life. During the high winds of a tornado, trees groan and some come crashing down. One day, I was driving home and saw a deer along the side of the road. Blood trickled out of its mouth, and it was already stiffened up in a grotesque shape. I’m sure you could come up with many such examples of creation groaning in some way.
We, too, are part of the creation. We have reasons for groaning. Anxiety. Broken families. Cancer. Debt. Fatigue. Grief. Hate. Injustice. Loneliness. MRI scans. PTSD. Sexual abuse/trafficking/harassment. Trauma. Watching a loved one die. You could fill in the blank with some groaning from your own life.
But the apostle Paul also says this suffering is nothing compared to the glory that is to come when our bodies are redeemed. How can he say that? By what Jesus did for us. When Jesus hung on His cross, He groaned a word that caught up all the groaning, all the futility, all the suffering. He said, “I thirst.” As His body approached death, He called onto Himself every groan and all the suffering of all creation. All this Jesus did, as Paul said, to save us and give us hope.
Yet death could not hold Him. On Easter morning, the tomb was empty. He had risen from the dead in a body glorified, with lungs breathing and His heart beating. Out of death comes new life, comes the promise of the redemption of our bodies. Hope springs forth when Jesus walks out of His grave. You can hear it in a locked room filled with frightened disciples that first Easter. Jesus appears to them and says, “Peace be with you,” and they breathe in the new life of the Holy Spirit.
Because of Jesus, our groans will be as nothing compared to what will be revealed on the last day of all history. One day, Jesus will return. He will come back for us. The groaning will be silenced. He will restore all creation to its beauty and wonder. We in the church have been confessing this confident hope for centuries in the Apostles’ Creed with these words: “I believe … in the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”
When you look back at Jesus going from “I thirst” to “Peace be with you,” when you look ahead with hope to His return, then you can say with the apostle Paul these confident words: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, thank You for giving us hope while we suffer. Help me to believe that one day You will restore all creation. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Glenn Nielsen.
Reflection Questions:
- When have you seen creation groaning and subject to decay, including your own life?
- How does Jesus’ resurrection give you hope during suffering?
- What might the new the new creation look like when Jesus returns on the last day?
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