The Beginning and the End

See, I am coming soon… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. — Revelation 22:12-13 NRSV

“Daddy, let me find it.” I handed my well-worn pocket version of the New Testament and Psalms to Timothy. His small fingers thumbed through the pages for a passage in Revelation he’d learned in Sunday school. “This!” he said triumphantly. Then he read in a firm, clear voice, “ ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’ That’s my favorite verse.”

“Why do you like it?” I asked. Was it because it mirrored the challenge of remembering what letters went first in his spelling words, like the e or the i in receive or neighbor? Or maybe it was the dawning awareness of who was first and who was last in school tests and playground contests.

“It’s just so big,” he said. We got off the subway, and as we walked to his school I made a little speech about how Jesus had come and would come back and that we were in this period of both celebrating His coming and awaiting His return, that He was both in time and outside of time, a little like a sci-fi movie. “And we pray for His kingdom on earth to come as we prepare for Christmas.”

Timothy walked in silence for a moment, then said, “But He’s here now and He’s everything. The Alpha, the Omega, the beginning, and the end.”

“Yes,” I said, “exactly.”

“Bye, Daddy,” he said, running to catch up with some friends. It made me think I would be running to catch up with him for the rest of his life.

Jesus is here now. Why didn’t I put it that way? The beginning and end and everything in between.

Dear Lord, we await Your coming like we await the arrival of a best friend who is already here. — Rick Hamlin

Digging Deeper: Psalm 118:22

Excerpted with permission from 25 Devotions for Advent, copyright Guideposts. Published by Zondervan.

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Your Turn

Jesus is here now and He’s everything! As we prepare our hearts for Advent, let’s remember that although Jesus came to earth 2,000 years ago and He’ll come again at the end of days, He is here with us now. Emmanuel. God with us! Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily