Holy Trinity Lutheran Church - Ankeny, IA

  • Home
    • Church Calendar
    • Mission Partners
    • Council
    • Staff
    • Governing Documents
    • Building Use
    • Employment
    • Mobile App
    • Realm Tips
  • Worship
    • Worship
    • Welcome Card
    • Devotions
    • Music Ministries >
      • Adult Choir Schedule & Resources
    • Baptism
    • Weddings
    • Prayer Requests
    • Flowers
    • Serve
  • Learn
    • Children's Ministry
    • Middle School Ministry
    • High School Ministry
    • Adult Learning
    • Grace Notes
  • GIVE
    • Give
    • Capital Campaign
    • Memorials
  • Participate
    • Sign Up
    • Small Groups
    • Calendar
    • Email News
  • WELCOME
    • Welcome
    • I want to Join
    • Our Mission
    • How We Worship
    • What to Expect
    • Contact Us
  • Food Pantry
  • Home
    • Church Calendar
    • Mission Partners
    • Council
    • Staff
    • Governing Documents
    • Building Use
    • Employment
    • Mobile App
    • Realm Tips
  • Worship
    • Worship
    • Welcome Card
    • Devotions
    • Music Ministries >
      • Adult Choir Schedule & Resources
    • Baptism
    • Weddings
    • Prayer Requests
    • Flowers
    • Serve
  • Learn
    • Children's Ministry
    • Middle School Ministry
    • High School Ministry
    • Adult Learning
    • Grace Notes
  • GIVE
    • Give
    • Capital Campaign
    • Memorials
  • Participate
    • Sign Up
    • Small Groups
    • Calendar
    • Email News
  • WELCOME
    • Welcome
    • I want to Join
    • Our Mission
    • How We Worship
    • What to Expect
    • Contact Us
  • Food Pantry

THIS ISN'T THE END

11/9/2023

0 Comments

 
Revelation is a book of encouragement. John was writing to persecuted Christians under Roman rule - under the oppressive political powers of the day. John writes in code, in a way that the original audience would know exactly what he was talking about, but that the political powers would wonder, and they wouldn’t quite understand it.  
​Revelation is a book of encouragement for early Christians, and in that light, it is encouragement for us today. The encouragement that we need to hear is that if everything hasn’t been put right, as it was created to be, then it isn’t the end.  

These past few weeks have been heavy for me. Maybe it’s the same with you, too. It has been heavy because of all the things in this world that seem to be so far from the way God intended them to be when God created this good world. It doesn’t take long when you look around the world today to see how the world is broken. People without food when the world can produce plenty to feed us all. A war in Ukraine. So much death and destruction in Israel and Palestine.  

This world, so broken. So far from the way things were intended to be. If you’re like me, you want to know when things will be put back into right order. Because the pain of this life is hard enough to bear the way it is. It would sure be nice if Jesus would come and make it all right, all perfect, as it was in the beginning.  

Revelation, not a book about destruction, but about Jesus making everything right. John the Revelator paints the picture for us. 

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”  
And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”  
And let everyone who is thirsty come.  
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.  
~ Revelation 22:17 


It is the Spirit that says come to the water. I want you to notice something else, it is the bride that is calling out to everyone come, the bride, the Church, calls out to the world, Come to the water. The whole church, the bride of Christ telling the world, we know where the living water is and that you can come and drink, freely and without cost.  

Without cost because you are loved. Jesus gives himself for us. To quench our thirst. Gives himself so that we are no longer held back from the tree of life like Adam and Eve were (Genesis 3), but to fully come back into the garden, eating the fruit of the tree of life. And quenching our thirst with the flowing living water that is Jesus.  

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you and with all the saints. Come, Lord Jesus! Amen.  

Travis Segar 
Pastor for Care & Community 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    ​Categories

    All
    Learning
    Outreach
    Spiritual Transformation
    Stewardship
    Worship

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019

    RSS Feed

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
A congregation of the Southeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
517 SW Des Moines St.
Ankeny, IA 50023
Phone: 515-964-4348
Office hours: M-Th 9:00 am-3:00 pm

Worship Schedule:
Sundays at 8:30 and 10:00 am
Livestream on Sundays at 10:00 am on YouTube

Picture
Picture
Privacy Terms

Subscribe to News
Realm
download our app
Calendar