No sideshow

Instead, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, with its thousands of angels. You have come to the joyful gathering of God’s firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, who is the judge of all people, and to the spirits of good people made perfect. You have come to Jesus, who arranged the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that promises much better things than does the blood of Abel.  (verses 22-24)

Read Hebrews 12:12-29

As a boy with a bit of money in my pocket at the local show I would inevitably find myself in Sideshow Alley. There was the Boxing Tent, the Mirror Maze, the Horror Ride, the Smallest Pony in the World, the Bearded Lady, the Man without a Body, all of them promising to be the best we had ever seen. After going to see them, I always felt a bit cheated and disappointed, because they hadn’t lived up to the promises made about them.

There are lots of sects and religions which are bits of sideshows too. They promise all kinds of fulfilment and success but fail to deliver. God, however, offers us something stunning: the glorious city on the mountain of his fulfilled promises! One day it will be ours. At present, though, we see him in far more humble terms, as the man Jesus shedding his blood on the cross.

Make no mistake, however, this is the real thing. It’s the greatest show on earth. It also gives you admission to the greatest show in eternity!

Dear God, thank you for all that you have done for me in Jesus and for all you promise is prepared for me in the life to come. Amen.

by Richard Hauser, in ‘New Strength for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 1998)

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