Sunday, November 27, 2022
- Reflection by Kristin Johnston Largen
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:22-25
Groaning, waiting, hoping: three words that jump out in this short passage in Romans 8; maybe they resonate with you as well. We notice here that the destiny and redemption of humankind is thoroughly bound up with the destiny and redemption of the whole creation. The groaning of burning forests, boiling seas, and baking cities is echoed in the groaning of our exhaustion, ill-temper, and grief. The waiting on better protections for indigenous peoples and lands, better defenses for endangered animals, and better choices by individuals and nations is echoed in our waiting for rest, rejuvenation, and relief. And, as it turns out, you, me, and the whole creation are hoping for the same thing: God’s loving presence, God’s strong deliverance, and God’s holy incarnation—God-with-us born in Jesus Christ. In Christ, your salvation, my salvation, and the salvation of the cosmos dawns, and we finally catch a glimpse of the hope we long to see.
Comforting God of the cosmos, we pray that you call us into ever-deepening solidarity with creation, making the groans of the earth our own groans, and the hopes of the planet our own hope. Open our hearts to see the community of the whole world as sharing in our expectant hope for your coming, bringing our salvation. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.