Friday 18 May 2007

Christ as the end of the story

Looking at Col 1:15-20 again this week in Bible study I was again very forcefully struck by Christ as the beginning and end of all things. This means that everything there is finds its suitable end and purpose in Him - every living thing, every element of culture, every story. Christ is the North Pole towards which everything is ultimately being drawn - even when they resist Him. Even in denying Him no-one can escape the fact that Christ is their purpose and goal. He is the end of all things.

So, Christ is always the end of every story, the ultimate answer to the question, the fulfilment of all things. All our aspirations are really about Him. This gives us an important nudge in apologetics. Preaching, proclamation and discipleship should be connecting all our stories with that one end of every story. We need to be seeking to understand how Christ is the Lord over every narrative and every search for meaning. Everything in ourselves, our culture and our world is screaming out for fulfilment in Him. The story may want to deny Him, but it cannot deny Him cos it's His world. This should give us tremendous confidence in speaking to individuals and our culture. Their hopes and dreams and accounts of the world can only find resolution and fulfilment in Christ. One day the reconciliation will be complete and every story and every hope and every search for meaning will find itself in Christ. What a day that will be!