Preparing for fulfilment
by Pastor Tim Castle-Schmidt
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With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3).
Read Isaiah 12:2–6
Through this week of Advent, we have journeyed into the liminal space in which we walk. Jesus has been travelling with us and inviting us to allow him to prepare us for the future – both in this life and for eternity.
And while we have been focusing on the preparation that has been going on, we have also had glimpses of the full revelation of our eternal life, where we will be in the immediate presence of God, where there will be no more sighing, crying or dying.
And yet, we still live in the present and are invited to participate in Jesus’ mission and ministry in the here and now. This means we are invited to see these words of Isaiah, first spoken nearly 3,000 years ago, applying to us now.
We are invited to draw from the ‘wells of salvation’ in the present even though the fulfilment of this promise is not fully realised until the creation of the new heavens and new earth.
And yet, as we have explored throughout this Advent week, we live with one foot in eternity now, even while our other foot is in the present, broken world. But Isaiah bids us to acknowledge this dual reality as we draw from the wells of salvation with joy and so bring God’s salvation into our every moment – our interaction with others, our standing up for what is right and just, and our acting with mercy to those to whom we minister, as this is how we walk humbly with our God (cf Micah 6:8).
We prepare for fulfilment by bringing some of the fulfilment into the present. May our continuing journey, waiting for the baby in the feed trough, continue to surprise us and encourage us to live the fulfilled life in the present.
Lord Jesus, our future is certain in you, and our present draws meaning. Help us draw from the wells of salvation now and share it with the whole world. Amen.
By his own admission, Tim Castle-Schmidt is a broken man. Broken in body, mind and spirit, he says he is learning that God is at work in and through human brokenness. He says that while God has not ‘fixed’ him, God continues to work through his brokenness to connect with the world. Tim is the Pastor of Nunawading–Waverley Lutheran Church in Melbourne. After spending many years as a teacher in Lutheran schools, he finally listened to God’s call to the pastoral ministry. Tim is passionate about social justice and engaging the church with contemporary society. Tim shares his life with Fiona, Miranda, and a Jack Russell called Otto.
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