John reminds us of this truth when he writes in Revelation 21: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”
My prayer is that all of us at COTHA will find the time of Lent to be a time of restoration and renewal. Yes Jesus is coming again to take us to that beautiful place, but we can get a taste of heaven even now. May Lent be a time where we refocus and re-taste the good of God through Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit.