Now the careful words of repentance must be said for me. He from whom I hope for the stole of immortality and the ring of dignity, who for my arrival slays the fattened calf from the herd, whose blood restored the structure of the whole world…

  - Moucan, “Prayers”, Irish, 8^th-9^th century[1]

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself…

  - 2 Corinthians 5.18, 19

We do well to remember that God sent Jesus out of His unfathomable love for the world (Jn. 3.16).

When Jesus advised Nicodemus that God loved the world, He meant precisely that. He meant the cosmos, the whole created order – the far-flung stars and planets, the soaring clouds and majestic hills, the roaring deeps, and every infinitesimally small creature and thing.

He meant the world of human beings, together with their culture, societies, institutions, families, languages, stories, and stuff. God loves the world, even though much of the world is locked in the grip of sin and rebellion.

And the blood which Jesus shed, sent by the Father’s love, is intended for the restoration of the world.

God made the world and everything in it; He loves what He made and intends to overcome the ruin our sin inflicts on His creation.

Evidence of God’s love for the world is everywhere apparent. The mere continuance of all created things depends on God. The beauty of the creation, its grandeur and glory, all its goodness, bounty, and mystery – all indicate God’s continuing love for what He made, and what He sent His Son to redeem.

Moucan understood this profound truth: the blood of Christ opens the way for the restoration of the structure and the entirety of the cosmos. It begins by cleansing the souls of those who believe, and flows from there into all our relationships, roles, and responsibilities, all our work and culture, even the very land and its creatures entrusted to our care.

The creation awaits the blood-bought liberty of the sons and daughters of God, that they might bring that restoring power to bear on every aspect of life and the cosmos (Rom. 8.19-22).

We work and pray for partial restoration now, but we know full and complete restoration is coming, because of the blood of Jesus. The new heavens and new earth, where righteousness dwells, will only be possible because of Jesus, Whose blood takes away the sin that blights the cosmos.

How great is the love of God for you? How powerful to cleanse and renew is the precious blood of Jesus? How much power is in the blood to make you an agent of restoration everywhere you go, with everyone you meet, for every situation and all of life?

Only consider, that the crimson drippings of that hideous cross ensured the complete re-creation of the vast cosmos in God’s good time, and you will surely understand in a new way how deep, how strong, how sure, how limitless, and how completely transforming is the blood of Jesus for you.

And with that blood coursing through the veins of your spirit, the only limits for realizing the restoring power of Jesus’ blood are whatever you have not yet dared to think or ask (Eph. 3.20).

For Reflection
1. How do you expect the restoring power of Jesus’ blood to bring you closer to Him today?

2. Where do you need to pay more attention to restoring the world Jesus has reconciled to the Father?

Psalm 98.4-9 (Duke Street: Come, Let Us Sing unto the Lord)
Raise to the Lord your loudest voice!
Break forth and sing! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Praise, praise to You, our God and King,
With all our hearts and strength we bring!

Now the let the whole creation ‘round
burst into song with joyous sound!
Jesus will come to judge the earth;
let all proclaim His matchless worth!

Thank You, Lord Jesus, that Your blood restores my soul, my life, my all, and that you daily send me to…

Restoring the Reconciled World
If you missed our ReVision series, “Restoring the Reconciled World,” you can download all the installments by clicking here.

Thank You
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T. M. Moore
Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[1] Davies, p. 302.