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Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a wonderful week, and a thoroughly enjoyable July. I almost hate to mention it, but my calendar tells me that we’re now half way through July—which reminds me that it’s important to make the most of summer while we have it. It goes far too quickly.  :-)

In recent weeks I’ve mentioned that I’ve been drawing some inspiration from the hymn-books in my office. I’ve quoted a few hymns in my notes, and I even reflected on the value of these old but precious resources in last week’s sermon. I stand by all those points. There are enough inspiring hymns on hand that I could quote one every week for the rest of the year. (I won’t, don’t worry—I know that might get a little tiresome for you over time.) 

However, I don’t want to give anyone an imbalanced picture of my personal musical taste. So this week, let me share the lyrics from a more recent song that’s been on my mind. It’s not brand new anymore (it hails from the 1980’s!), but it definitely falls into the “contemporary” box. It goes like this:

No longer what we were before, but not all that we will be.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door on all our compromising,
When He appears, He’ll draw us near
And we’ll be changed by His glory, wrapped up in His glory…
We will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 

No longer what we saw before, but not all that we will see.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door on all our disbelieving
And He appears, our view will clear
And we’ll be changed by His glory, wrapped up in His glory. 

But I’m caught in between the “now” and the “not yet,”
Sometimes it seems like forever and ever
That I’ll be reaching to be all that I am,
But I’m only a few steps nearer.  Yet I’m nearer….

 When He appears, He’ll draw us near
And we’ll be changed by His glory, wrapped up in His glory.

(If you want to hear it, you can get it here on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScUQDK_BgXw.)

You may recognize that the song references 1 John 3:2. People sometimes complain that contemporary songs aren’t as theologically informed as the older stuff by people like John Wesley, but that’s always the case. This particular song is a beautiful reminder of one of the most important theological themes in the New Testament: a theme often described as the tension between the “already” and the “not-yet.”

We talk about how Jesus fulfills ancient prophecies that God would send us a Savior, a Messiah, a “seed of the woman.” This is true, and it’s wonderful! However, when the Old Testament predicted God’s coming Savior, it tended to give the impression that when He arrived He would immediately fulfill every part of God’s plan of salvation in one dramatic moment. Sin would be defeated, death reversed, the world renewed, everything made perfect again, all at once! The Old Testament doesn’t actually say that’s how it must be, but because it links all these blessings to the coming of Messiah, it gave the impression that it would all be fulfilled immediately.

It turns out that wasn’t what God intended. We look back on the ministry of Jesus now, and we understand this pretty clearly. He came a first time to walk among us, to teach, to lead, to make disciples, and most centrally to die for us and rise again, bringing forgiveness and new life. But in God’s mysterious design, He returned to the Father for a while, promising that He would come again to bring a New Heaven and New Earth and the final completion of God’s plan. In the meantime we do experience new life thanks to the Holy Spirit who is among and in us. But we also find ourselves in an in-between situation. The Kingdom of God has come among us, and we taste it and proclaim it. But the final, ultimate, complete arrival of that Kingdom is still coming.

One great example of this is seen in the way the New Testament talks about our salvation. Sometimes it says that we “have been saved” (past tense)—as for example in Rom 8:24 and Eph 2:8. Sometimes it says we “are being saved” (present tense)—as for example in 1 Cor 1:18 or 2 Cor 2:15. Sometimes it says we “will be saved” (future tense)—as in Rom 10:9 or 1 Cor 3:15.

 So we find ourselves living, as the song puts it, “between the now and the not yet.” We’re changed, but not perfect. And we live in a world where God is wonderfully at work and the gospel is spreading, but things are not yet perfect. We do our best to live in a way that anticipates and brings the future into being here and now, living as though heaven has arrived. Still, we find ourselves waiting. (It’s worth mentioning that a huge part of Jesus’ own teaching in the gospels is about “waiting” and delay and trusting God in the meantime.)

This has been on my mind because this coming Sunday we’re going to be looking at Psalm 126. It’s another wonderful worship song. It’s also a song that reflects that sense of “now but not yet.” It will be a chance to lift God up in praise. It will be a good reminder that the Psalms come in different flavors. Perhaps it will be a special encouragement to some of us whose current experience is more on the “not yet” side of things than in the joy of what we have “already.”

It’s a short psalm, so by all means read through it in preparation. If you have time and you want to explore some of those New Testament verses that talk about salvation in the past, present, and future, you might find that stimulating too.

Meanwhile, have a wonderful week. Richest blessings, and we’ll see you soon!

—Pastor Ken