…But We See Jesus
“In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. BUT WE SEE JESUS…” (Hebrews 2:4-8)
Sean Copeland, CEO of Tearfund Ireland reflects on how we respond to a trouble world in this month’s guest blog for VOX.
The world is not as it should be.
The year 2020 was called unprecedented. A global pandemic caused the death of multiple thousands, sickness of millions, ruined livelihoods, strained health-care services and brought instability across global economies.
In the years since, we have witnessed multiple geopolitical tensions and military conflicts which have challenged our assumptions of peace, security, and stability. In their wake, new perspectives of solidarity amplify the distance between apathy, acquiescence, and agreement. Questions are buried beneath accusations of incitement by those who are oblivious that the judgments are equally inciting. The discomfort of partial truths providing solace for the few; while the comfort of many escapes the powerful, seemingly afraid to use their power.
The world is not as it should be.
We’ve witnessed governments sworn to uphold democracy distort those very principles for self-serving agendas. Though we’ve lamented the system, we’ve succumbed to the narratives of opposing ideologies oblivious to our power to create alternative possibilities. Yet when violent crowds combined nationalistic theism with self-righteous justification we were shocked by our surprise. We seemed to have forgotten the principle of sowing and reaping as we ignored the gradual digression which led to the sudden assault on democracy.
The world is not as it should be.
We value ease and convenience while prioritising comfort, no longer aware of the consequences resulting from the pursuit of our happiness. Profit, consumerism and disposables drive the cycle of consumption, waste and pollution; degrading the earth and disregarding the reversal our grandchildren must engineer.
The world is not as it should be.
We’ve become numbed by continuous access to everything at all times. Willingly handing over the intimacies of our identity, we’re drawn into the cavernous chamber of echoes but immune to the temptation to disconnect. We’ve championed one’s right to speak freely as more important than empathy to another’s understanding of the words heard. One’s claim to entitlement is presumed more justified than another’s cry for equity and, we’ve drifted from the practice of humility; residing where retaliation, retribution and revenge are the established default responses.
No, the world is not as it should be. But the way it is, does not have to be the way it is. I will not be satisfied with the limitations of earthly wisdom or the basic principles of this world. I choose to embrace what the Bible teaches about my role as a child of God.
I invite you to share in the following prayer with me…
Though things are not as they should be… we see Jesus
Heavenly Father, even though the world is not as it should be, I will keep my eyes on Jesus. God, you demonstrated your love for the world by sending Jesus (John 3.16) to seek and save all that was lost (Luke 19.10) and reconcile everything back to yourself (Romans 5.10).
You’ve given me the right to become a child of God (John 1.12), and I choose to lean into you and pursue righteousness and peace as a child of God (Proverbs 2.2-15; Hebrews 12.11).
Father, we know that you have entrusted us with stewardship of creation (Psalm 8.6, 115.16). You’ve invited us into your mission (John 20.21) that your will would be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6.10) until the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the seas (Habakkuk 2.14).
We thank you for welcoming us as your children (John 1.12) and enabling Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith (Galatians 2.20) so we can be formed by him (Galatians 4.19). We choose not to be conformed to the basic principles of this world (Colossians 2.20), but choose to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12.1-3) so we can become like Jesus (1 John 3.2).
We ask for the spirit of wisdom and revelation that we may know you better (Ephesians 1.17) and for courage to live worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4.1). We ask for perseverance to forget what is behind and press on toward that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us (Philippians 3.12-14).
We yearn to live up to what we have already attained (Philippians 3.16) and, in the power of Holy Spirit, demonstrate and teach all that Jesus modelled (Matthew 28.18-20), carrying on his ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5.18) so that the Church could display the manifold wisdom of God (Ephesians 3.10) and the Body of Christ would be built up into maturity, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of God (Ephesians 4.13).
Although the world may not be as it should be…. we see Jesus. For that reason, I will set my heart and my mind on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3.1) and fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12.2).
Let it be so.
Sean Copeland
February 2024