You can never really be late to church because you're always joining a service that continues forever. A great multitude that no one can count is standing before the throne and before the lamb.

Revelation 21 and Genesis 1 look pretty similar. We’re not floating on clouds and singing hymns forever. We are living in resurrected physical bodies in a new heaven and a new earth without sin, pain, or death anymore.

When faced with hurt and injustice, we've heard people suggest everything from "eye for an eye" to basically letting yourself be treated like a doormat. But what does Jesus call us to do? Thankfully, in Jesus, we can address injustice and hurt in a way that neither minimizes their gravity nor allows them to consume or define our lives.

American Christianity gets really weird when it talks about the End Times...it seems to always focus on fear, current events, and geopolitical interpretations. Good News: The focus of the Bible is different. While there's some sobering stuff about the End Times, the Bible teaches us that ultimately, the focus of End Times teaching is: Encouragement. It's pretty simple: Jesus is coming back...and he wants you to be with him when he makes all things new.

What would you do if you came home and found a baby left on your doorstep? Whatever your response, you probably couldn’t just ignore it. The same is true for Jesus. When we look at his claims and calls, we can reject or receive him, but there’s not much room for pretending like he’s not there. Although his presence might feel threatening to things we’ve come to value, Jesus didn’t come to take away what is valuable. He came to give us something better than what we’ve settled for.

Invited even though rejected.