Dear Everyone,

I spent some time before and after Easter finishing NT Wright’s book, “Surprised by Hope” and reflecting on the book as whole. I have a couple of observations.

First, he emphasizes the importance of the Christian doctrine of the general bodily resurrection. And as he points out, this is what provides hope and comfort for the future. Death is not the end. The tyrants, the genocidaires, the killers cannot end us. Because physical death is not the end. We shall rise again.

Second, God will redeem the cosmos. His redemptive work will extend to the planets, the animals, the very ground on which we walk. Again, this doctrine provides hope and comfort for the future.

Third, as Wright expresses, our creative works will also last into the future: “What you do in the present – by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbour as yourself – will last into God’s future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly …. They are part of what we may call building for God’s kingdom.”

Consequently, as Wright emphasizes, the work of the Church here and now must be conceived of in these terms – in light of the general resurrection, the redemption of the cosmos, and the building for God’s present and future kingdom.

As I continue my writing and creative endeavours, I am going to keep in mind Wright’s exhortation. I’m going to consider how my writing builds God’s present and future kingdom and how it can do so much, much better. I think all of us can approach our creative endeavours, and our ways of doing good deeds and saying good words in the light of God’s kingdom.

Peace be with you all.
Thank you for reading,

SR

www.sylvainreynard.com