The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

— Romans 8:21

First, the bad news. You and I and every last human being on this earth are damaged goods. We’re bent out of shape by sin. We’re guilty of everything from minor missteps to major crimes. We’re in desperate need of forgiveness and a fresh start. But that’s not the half of it. The bad news keeps coming. Selfishness, injustice, hatred, indifference, violence. It all cracks the foundations of our societies and sets us against each other. The earth itself suffers under the weight of our greed and pride and war. And then there are spiritual forces of evil—principalities and powers—that oppose everything good. So the problem is bigger than your sinfulness or mine. So much bigger. And if we look at it all long and hard, it can seem hopeless. That’s what makes the news of the kingdom of God so good. The kingdom is God’s salvation for a broken, twisted, suffering world. In the kingdom there will be no more war. War that ends lives and scars them; war that levels cities and poisons the ground. In the kingdom there will be justice for discarded communities and reconciliation at every level. One day the kingdom will be a new creation, aflame with the glory and goodness of God. And the news will always be good.

Lord Jesus, thank you for the big hope of your kingdom and for every little sign of its coming. Amen.