Grace at the End--May 16, 2024
"Then [the One who was seated on the throne] said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life'." [Revelation 21:6]
Even at the very end of everything (which, apparently, turns out to be a new beginning at the same time), God is still giving away life... for free. Even in the final throne room scene of the Bible, at the great jubilee and resurrection feast of God's ultimate triumph over death, hatred, and evil, God is the One also pouring out drinks of the water of life to everyone who is thirsty--just because they are thirsty, without a mention of their paying for it, earning it, or winning it as a prize. This is what makes God worthy, not only of our worship, but of our imitation: even at the great victory celebration (think the last scene in Star Wars when Princess Leia is handing out medals to Luke Skywalker and Han Solo while a John Williams trumpet fanfare plays), God is serving graciously. And God isn't giving out medals or trophies as rewards (which, let's be honest, are basically useless except as a status symbol) but rather giving out "water as a gift" from the Fount of Life itself. All the way to the very end-and-new-beginning of creation, God is giving us life as a gift, rather than putting the ol' divine feet up. It's God's party, but God is still the one pouring drinks and filling cups for all the welcome guests rather than needing to be the center of attention. That's a surprising sort of God I'll tell you--but it is exactly what makes God... good.
This is really important for us to be clear about, because I often hear Respectable Religious Leaders suggesting that there is some kind of last-minute Divine Bait-and-Switch on God's part. After accepting (perhaps grudgingly) that Jesus embodies reckless grace and audaciously unconditional love throughout his life, serving humbly and welcoming sinners and failures all throughout the gospel stories, you'll hear some folks say, "But when he comes again, it's for judgment and wrath!" Sometimes the line goes, "He came the first time as a Lamb, but when he comes back, it will be as the Lion!"--totally forgetting, of course, that in the book of Revelation the one time there is a mention of The Lion of The Tribe of Judah arriving, everybody turns their heads and sees... nothing but a Lamb. In other words, popular religion often tells a story where Jesus came nicely in his earthly ministry, but when he comes again in glory, he'll be a conqueror not a servant. And he'll be doling out rewards and punishments, not gifts of grace--at least, so the thinking goes.
But that's exactly NOT what is going on here, and today's verse is literally from the End of the Story--the last scene in the last book of the Bible! And the God who speaks here identifies as both "the Beginning" (Alpha) and "the End" (Omega), and then in the very same breath offers "the water of life" as a gift to any who are thirsty. In other words, there's no changing of tactics and no split personality with God. Jesus doesn't get replaced by a violent deity, and Jesus' economy of grace is not overtaken by a system of carrots and sticks. All the way to the end, Jesus is giving us life. All the way to the end, God is giving to the ones in need, simply on the basis of their need. Our hope from beginning to end is a God who gives us life, not as a reward, but as a gift.
And if that's the shape of our hope, then we definitely don't have to be afraid as we look forward to endings--not of our lifetimes, and not of the world. Because even at the end of everything, God remains the same generous Life-Giver who pours us glasses of cool water to quench our deepest thirst... and what seemed to be the end turns out to be the start of a whole new creation. With that goal in mind, we can face today. We know that God is committed always to being the Giver of Life, simply because we need it.
Gracious God, be our life and our hope, today and always.
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