Creation Points us to Christ

One of the realities of our eternity with the Lord will be using perfected bodies to interact with a perfected earth. Presumably we will traverse high mountains, skip through meadows with every color of flower imaginable, swim in crystal clear seas, explore lush forests, all while enjoying the company of perfected relationships with one another and with the Lord. Part of cultivating hope in the return of Christ and waiting for him with anticipation should be the desire to enjoy a perfect creation. In fact, creation itself is anticipating this (cf. Romans 8:19-22), and we get a glimpse of this even as we look at the first coming of Christ.

It is not difficult at all to see that the Lord intended for creation to be involved in pointing to and celebrating the birth of Christ. First, there is the star; somehow, there is an alignment of a particular star in a particular place and time that brings some expert star-gazers from far away to pay tribute to this King who had been born. Second, there is the pastoral setting of the shepherds out in their fields who are blown away by the appearing of angelic hosts in the sky singing praise to God and instructing them to find this newborn Christ-child. Finally, there is the scene of Jesus’s actual birth, this feeding trough that served as his first crib, as he was born in the room typically occupied only by animals. The stars and fields and animals all played a role in announcing the first coming of Christ, and perhaps somehow these elements of creation knew this was the first pivotal step toward the Lord’s restoring of all things and the coming of his eternal kingdom.

As we are walking through another holiday season, one that, due to our current state of pandemic, possesses even more difficulties than usual, perhaps creation is a gift from the Lord to help us endure. How can you interact with creation this season as a way to remember the Lord? Whether it’s taking a walk in the woods or watching birds in your backyard or playing with your pet or canoeing down a river or raking leaves or buying a plant for your home, I would encourage you to use creation as one of the good gifts the Lord has provided us to remind us of his goodness and creativity and joy. Perhaps it is one of the ways in which the Holy Spirit can strengthen us to wait upon the Lord with patience and endurance in this Advent season.