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In a faraway land laden with abundant peace and joy and cloaked in
wondrous mystery, a fair city nestles among the foothills of a large and
lofty mountain. This city is not unlike other cities that dot our azure
planet. But there are some
noticeable differences. For
example, if you were to stand high on the mountain overlooking the city
you would see there are many one-way roads leading into the city and only
one, one-way road leading out of the city.
Also from the mountainside overlooking the city, observant
travelers find their curiousity piqued by the unusual shape of the city. The main portion of the city lies within a long, thin
rectangle laid out at a right angle to the base of the mountain.
The remaining portions of the city lie within two shorter
rectangles equal in length butting at a right angle directly opposite one
another the main portion of the city at a point about three-fourths along
its length, with the other one-fourth of its length nearest the mountain.
The thousands of roads leading into the city originate at every
farm, hamlet, village, town, and city on the planet and enter the
foothills city from it’s sides opposite the mountain.
The single one-way road leading out of the city leads directly to
the mountain. Many
one-way roads leading into the city.
One, one-way road leading out of the city to the high mountain.
It is a mystery.
The roads leading into
the city are not all roads; there are also lanes, and paths, and highways,
and tracks, and turnpikes, and thoroughfares…in addition to the roads.
Some are well-traveled. Some
are scarcely traveled at all. But
they are all one-way accesses into the city.
Yes, that is unusual. But
so is the city. So is the
mountain. It is a mystery.
Long ago and once upon the fullness of time, the Son of God told
his followers, “I am the way…. People reach my Father only through me.”
The Son of God is the city.
There are many roads leading to the city—to the Son of God.
As many roads as there are people—millions of roads, even
billions. And the Son of God
draws all people to the city as a lodestone attracts iron filings unto
itself. He once proclaimed:
“I will draw all people unto myself!”
As time marches on and generation after generation of people are
drawn gently toward the city, they each perceive the city uniquely, based
upon their current location on their journey, their state of awareness,
and their level of understanding. Travelers
also see the city through the eyes of their own background and lifespan,
their own society, their own culture and their own times.
Yet, all are mysteriously and inexorably drawn toward the
city—not against their wills, but sometimes they are not aware they are
being drawn. It is a soft,
gentle, imperceptible summoning; it is a light, feathery,
indistinguishable breeze upon their backs guiding them toward the city.
All see the city as bright and fair and welcoming.
Somehow it is home—the home they left behind, yet a new home.
As they stream toward this unusual city, they see it as a safe
haven in which their life questions will be answered, their burdens
lifted, their bondages broken, and all their needs met.
They know there is healing and health for all travelers who arrive
at this wondrous city. They know it is a city of refuge, a city of safety, a city of
rest for the weary traveler. They
know it is a good city to which they journey.
Some run toward the city. Others
plod slowly. Still others are
reluctant, but an insistent, inner urging compels them to continue their
journey. Believing they may
have found a better or faster way to the high mountain, some even take
detours or veer off at junctions—only to find the detours and the new
routes ultimately lead them back toward the city.
It is so with each assumed new and better route.
Travelers cannot bypass the city to get to the mountain.
Some travelers pause from time to time, questioning the journey.
Some stop to rest. Some find distractions along the way. Still, they all continue to journey inexorably toward the
city.
Yes, the Son of God is
the city—and all people from all nations, all tribes, all ethnic groups,
all times, and all places are being drawn toward the city. There is
no one way by which people journey toward this city.
There are many ways leading to the city.
High ways. Low ways.
Difficult ways. Lonely ways. Circuitous ways. Bright
ways. Dark ways.
Puzzling ways. Mysterious ways.
Confusing ways. Questioning ways. Doubtful
ways. Faithless ways.
Faith-filled ways. But
they all lead to the city. However,
let it be known by all: once
a traveler reaches the city, there is only one path out of the city to the
high mountain. It is a mystery.
The high mountain is God. And
all travelers must go through the city to reach the one road leading to
the high mountain. That road
out of the city to the high mountain is a bright shining way, wending
through fair vistas, lovely scenery, and unparalled and unprecedented
wonders, joys, and delights. But
the only way onto that road is through the city.
Not around the city, not past the city, not over the city, not
under the city, but only through the city.
Once through the foothills city, travelers to the high mountain
know with absolute certainty they are on the right road to the celestial
city shining brightly from the mountain’s peak.
There are no detours, junctions, sidetracks, or pitfalls on that
road. The road leads directly to the high mountain.
Upon their arrival and to their wonderment, each traveler discovers
the celestial city on the mountain peak is the same city they passed
through to reach the road leading up the mountain.
It is a mystery.
The
celestial city descended from God out of heavenly realms, yet it is part
of God, part of the city nestled in the foothills, part of the high
mountain. The city has no
need of the sun or moon to light it, for God and the Son of God are its
light. The entrance to the city never closes at night, for there is
no night there. A pure,
crystal-clear river of life flows out of the city, and on each side of the
river grow unimaginable, ever-fruitful trees of life.
The waters of the river and the fruit from the trees are strong and
wondrous medicine to heal all people from all hurts, all wounds, all
traumas, all injuries, all diseases, all infirmities, all disabilities,
all self-imposed limitations. And
wonder of wonders, they even heal from the dark enemy, death.
With
increasing awe and growing wonderment, each traveler discovers they—and
all others who have arrived safely home—together comprise the city.
The Father, the Son, and they are the city.
How can that be? It is
a mystery. The foothills city, the lofty mountain, and the celestial
city are all one. And the
traveler arrived safely home is an essential part of the whole.
It is a great mystery.
Moreover,
the mountain and the shining city at its peak are not only the end of the
journey, but also the beginning. Travelers
discover at the end of their long journey they have arrived at where they
started…and they know the place for the first time…and yet they have
known it all through the journey and have merely arrived home where their
journey originated. The end
of the journey is merely the end of the beginning…and the beginning of
the new beginning.
“In the
beginning, God…”
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