My store stands nearly empty There is little on the shelf Just an ounce or two of patience Though there’s several pounds of self
The old ceiling paint is peeling There are scratches on the floor But hope still welcomes people Just outside the open door
Though some say I should give up Yet a hope within me burns For I trust the owner’s promise That tomorrow He returns
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. Luke 12:37 ESV
If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13 ESV
The Christmas bells are safely packed away in their cases, and the small nativity scene has returned to its box. Though the wise men still stand above the China cabinet it will not be long before they are sent back to their far country on a shelf in the garage. This week between Christmas and New Year is quiet with the anticipation of what lies ahead and a bittersweet sadness of the end of our celebration of the birth of Jesus. And though I know that December 25th was probably not the day Jesus slept in the manger, but I wanted to look back at that moment one more time and recall what remains. Today’s verse reminds us that no matter what we do or say, God remains faithful.
Every day of the year is the day that our Lord has made, and every night is another night in the stable of our hearts where Jesus comes to be born in the middle of our mess. A New Year is just a few days away, but God is more interested in the calendar of our hearts than the calendar on our walls. If we make a time and a place for Him, He will bring light into our dark and empty places. But if we choose to go our own way and deny Him by our life’s choices, Jesus still remains. He is the I am. He is Alpha and Omega. He is the author and the editor of our faith and of all history. He remains, never packed away, never out of season, never failing. Thank God for such an amazing and mighty Savior; and, in the year, that lies ahead the best news of all is that He remains!
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:12-13 ESV
A few years ago, a group from our church made a trip to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. When they returned, they were full of more stories of their time together than about the Ark. At first, I laughed about that, but then I thought how fitting that was because even if one day someone actually finds the original structure of the ark it really wouldn’t change a thing. Believers would still believe, and unbelievers would still doubt. What matters most is our faith, not some historical artifact.
But the Bible says that God did leave us something even greater than Noah’s Ark to visit. He left a sign of His faithfulness in the clouds that everyone can see, and we call it the rainbow. Everyone over the age of five has seen at least one rainbow, though few know who put it there. God left us this beautiful though fleeting sign of His eternal love and kindness, yet most will see it and still not believe in Him. Now, it is a great experience to go to the Ark Encounter, and I highly recommend it as a trip well worth taking. But more important than visiting the ark and more foundational to our faith it to look up in the sky after a storm and thank God for the rainbow. The only traveling we need to do, is from unbelief to faith, from fear to blessed assurance, because the rainbow is God’s eternal sign to everyone who believes of His great faithfulness and love!
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