“There is no element, no part of this world, which—so to speak—being touched with the knowledge of the present misery, is not attentive to the hope of resurrection.”

J. Calvin

The Ache of Separation 

 A few years ago, as I flew across continents to finally reach Australia, leaving my home 16,000km behind me, I found myself wishing teleportation was real. A 24-hour flight separated me from my family and friends, from those I love most. That journey awakened in me a longing: for a world where separation is impossible, where the pain of saying goodbye simply doesn’t exist.  

In the weeks and months that followed, I realised that what I was truly longing for was the resurrection, the world made whole again. This longing isn’t unique to me; it’s woven into the fabric of God’s world.  

The Longing of the World 

Just a few weeks ago, Easter brought us face-to-face with the most crucial moment in Jesus’ ministry. The word “crucial” comes from the Latin crucis – the cross. At the cross, Jesus experienced death and separation from God on our behalf, so we would never have to. But the story didn’t end there. Jesus “crossed” from death into life, becoming the ‘firstfruit’ of the new creation, the firstborn in God’s kingdom. 

Christ is risen! He is alive, and that changes everything. Jesus has returned to His glory, to the fullness of God’s reality, untouched by sin and death, where God’s will reigns supreme. 

But this heavenly reality was never meant to be separate from our world. God’s design has always been for unity between Heaven and Earth. That’s why, in the Lord’s Prayer, we ask for God’s will to be done “on Earth as it is in Heaven.” Deep down, the whole world longs for this unity, even if it doesn’t realise it. 

As John Calvin wrote over 500 years ago:  

“There is no element, no part of this world, which-so to speak-being touched with the knowledge of the present misery, is not attentive to the hope of resurrection.”

J. Calvin (Commentaires sur le Nouveau Testament, 1855, p. 140) 

 Along with St. Paul (Cf. Romans 8:18-30), Calvin believed that, because the world has been subjected to sin and death, it is also thirsty for the new life promised by Christ’s resurrection. We were made for uninterrupted life; this is the true “natural state” of the world. The present age, marked by sin and death, is the anomaly; it is “unnatural”.  

God’s Renewal: The Hope We Share 

This truth should give us confidence to share the hope of resurrection with our family, friends, and neighbours. We are all witnesses to the brokenness of this life. But we were created for life uninterrupted; it is one of the deepest longings of every heart. As Ecclesiastes says, God has given the notion of eternity to every heart: 

“He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) 

We have been created for eternal life, life filled with God’s goodness. This world is hoping for resurrection. The state we live in now is not the end of the story. From Adam and Eve to Jesus Christ, the Bible tells the story of God’s project to restore His people and His creation. 

Our Calling: Christ’s Feet and Hands 

On May 29 (Ascension Day), Christians remember Jesus’ ascension (going up into Heaven), and his return to glory. Before he ascended, he sent his disciples to announce the good news of the Kingdom to all nations. The Kingdom will come in its due time, but – for now – we are to be his hands and feet in the world: 

 “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Ac 1:7-8) 

Although Jesus’ resurrection surprised everyone – even his closest earthly connections, his family and disciples – it fulfilled what God’s prophets had proclaimed for centuries. It accomplished God’s ancient design for the world: to restore us and his creation to what we were always meant to be, to fulfill the longing within every person, even those who cannot put a name to what they’re longing for. Some will be restored to eternal life in God’s presence, and some to life separated from the source of everything that is good and beautiful. 

So, as we look ahead, will we continue to share this hope? Will we be Christ’s hands and feet in the world, bringing the message of resurrection and new life to those longing for life made whole?  

One easy way of doing this is to invite someone you know and care about to our next Explore Jesus course, ‘321’. During this course, we will explore God’s rescue plan and explain how the Christian worldview makes sense of this world, and us. It’s a great opportunity for people to find out more about the hope of resurrection and to continue (or start) a journey on which – I pray – they might find the answer to their heart’s longing. Christ’s good news is still good news today, for us and many more.  

Click here if you would like to find more information or register for our upcoming 321 course, starting starting Sunday 18 May, 2025.

God bless,

Benji Vaytet
Community Pastor