Matthew
28:16-20
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to
the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they
worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
And remember, I am
with you always, to the end of the age.
·
Why would we hear the creation
account from the Book of Genesis and then hear the last words of the Gospel of
Matthew on the same day? Both are worth hearing without a doubt, yet we might
wonder why these two reading were chosen for the same day, particularly for the
festival of the Holy Trinity.
·
Let’s look at Genesis first. The Book
of Genesis (which means “origins” or “beginnings”) outlines creation stories
(two of them!) as well as the earliest history of the Hebrew people. The
beginnings of humanity’s separation from God are outlined as well – the sin of
Adam and Eve, the tower of Babel, the flood associated with Noah and the ark
are a few examples. Genesis tells of an original innocence when In
the beginning… God created the heavens and the earth… and all
things were in sync with God’s will and desire for all of creation.
·
The history of Israel outlines what
the people did, in line with God’s will and not. The books of the prophets show
God’s continued concern for God’s people, sending people to bring God’s voice
of comfort to those who would listen… and of judgement to those who would not
listen.
·
We know that the Gospel, the Good
News of Jesus Christ, is in line with the arc of the history of grace for the
people God had chosen. The Gospel also reveals Jesus to be the fulfillment of
that history. What has been promised by our Creator has been fulfilled and
continues to be fulfilled in our Redeemer.
·
The heavens and the earth, meant to
be without boundaries, were broken apart. That is what the story of the
disobedience of our first parents is about. The continued mercy and providence
of God throughout the ages in history and prophecy show God’s desire and
longing to heal the separation of the heavens and the earth. In Jesus’ death
and resurrection, this breach had been healed. The brokenness of the world is
healing.
·
Matthew’s Gospel ends with Jesus
telling his disciple All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me… And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
The phrase in heaven and on earth echo the words of Genesis in
narrating the creation of all, done simply by the Word and will of God.
·
The end of Matthew’s Gospel also
contains the command to make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…
This is not a doctrinal note alone. It is also an acknowledgement of the
ongoing work of the Trinity and the never-ending presence of Jesus in the life of
the Spirit within the whole Church, made up of disciples from every nation.
·
The end of Matthew’s Gospel is an end
of a literary work, namely his Gospel as a written work. It is NOT the end of
the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ. For Jesus to say And
remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age, there is
more to it than a closing sentence. It is a vision of the beginning of a new
creation and the end of the brokenness of the created world. The heavens and
the earth will no longer be separated. God and creation will no longer be
separated.
·
Shortly we will pray together and use
the prayer that Jesus taught us. Take note that we pray the the will of God
might be done on earth as it is in heaven. We continue to pray for the
healing of the whole of creation – heaven and earth. We continue to pray for
the healing of the breach between the heavens and the earth for we know that
things are not as yet as God meant them to be, both in all of creation and
within ourselves.
·
In Jesus, the rift in creation is
healing. Where he is present, there will be the Father and the Spirit. There
will be grace and mercy and the very life of God.
·
Considering that, it is a good thing
that Jesus has told us remember, I am with you always, to the
end of the age.
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