November 28

In the symbolic language of the ancient creeds, the mode of existence of the risen Lord is described as “sitting at the right hand of God”, that is, as a sharing in God’s royal power over history, a power that is real even when it is hidden. The exalted Christ is not, therefore, deprived of his relation to the world but rather transcends the world and is thereby related to it in a new way. “Heaven” means participation in this new mode of Christ’s existence and, accordingly, the completion of what began for us with Baptism. For that reason, heaven cannot be assigned a spatial location, whether within or without the space of our world, nor can it be separated from the cosmos as just a “state”. It is rather that power over the world that befits the new “space” of the body of Christ, the communion of saints. Heaven will be complete only when all members of the Lord’s body are assembled there. The fullness of the body of Christ includes the “resurrection of the flesh”; it is called the parousia because then the now only-just-begun presence of Christ will be complete and will include all who are to be saved and, with them, the whole universe. Hence heaven will manifest itself in two historical stages: the exaltation of the Lord is the source of a new oneness of God and man and therefore of heaven; the perfecting of the body of Christ to the pleroma of the “whole Christ” brings it to its real cosmic perfection. The salvation of the individual is complete and entire only when the salvation of the universe and of all the elect has been accomplished, because the redeemed are not just near one another in heaven. On the contrary, by being with one another as the one Christ, they are heaven. When this has come to pass, all creation will become “song”, a self-forgetful shedding of the bounds of being into the whole and, at the same time, the entrance of the whole into its proper sphere, joy, in which all questions will be answered and satisfied.

From: Eschatologie—Tod und ewiges Leben, pp. 192ff

 Ratzinger, J., Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year (ed. I. Grassl) (San Francisco 1992) 375.

November 28: The Unity of Believers

2 Kings 20:1–21:26; Ephesians 4:1–32; Proverbs 8:27–36

It’s easy to sort believers in a community based on the quantity of their service. Most of us could roll out the masking tape and divide those who contribute their time and efforts from those who don’t. If we’re honest, the topic itself easily divides us—it makes us feel used, overtasked, and resentful. But that’s not the picture of unity of purpose that Paul presents in Ephesians. He describes the church as a body—one in which “each single part” is needed for the growth of the whole.

“But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow into him with reference to all things, who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined together and held together by every supporting ligament, according to the working by measure of each single part, the growth of the body makes for the building up of itself in love” (Eph 4:15–16).

We are each given unique abilities for the growth of the body, and “each single part” is necessary to grow the body of Christ. God gives gifts to each supporting ligament—each person—in order to build up the community. But it is Christ who joins and holds the church together.

Because of Christ’s unifying role, a key aspect of growth as a community and as individuals includes speaking the truth in love—helping others grow to spiritual maturity in the truth of the gospel. Instead of chiding, we can remind others of God’s goodness to them through Christ. Instead of further ostracizing them, we can invite them in by speaking the truth with love, realizing that God has blessed them with special abilities that will soon be realized.

How can you use your gifts to serve your community? How can you lovingly help others recognize theirs?

Rebecca Van Noord

 Barry, J. D. – Kruyswijk, R., Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan (Bellingham, WA 2012).