Shepherd's Corner (December 17th, 2025)

Shepherd's Corner (12-17-25)Brian Lee

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Living on "Stage," Rooted in Our Identity

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2 & 3)

As we close out 2025, I am reminded that Scripture directs our attention not first to events but to identity. What we do (fruit) is very important, but who we are (tree) is more important. Understanding our identity (indicative) must take precedence over our goals and missions (imperative).

Who are we? We are God’s children already-and-not yet. During this Season of the Christ, we are reminded how the first Advent prepares us for the Second Advent. And, the preparation for Christ’s Return begins with what is already true of us in Christ. The Christian life always moves from the indicative to imperative—from who we are to how we live. Because we belong to Christ, we live with hope, watchfulness, and holiness (1 John 3:3).

This is where C. S. Lewis offers a needed correction to our modern instincts. Lewis offered this towards the end of his career as a Christian apologist some 70 years ago. It remains relevant to us in 2025.

In Lewis's work, The World’s Last Night, Lewis reminds us that we are not spectators of history, evaluating it from a safe distance. Whether we accept it or not, we are already on the "stage." The redemptive historical drama is well underway, and our lives are part of what is moving toward Christ’s appearing. Scripture speaks in the same direction:

“Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

We are not waiting outside the story; we are living inside it.

When identity is forgotten, preparation for the Second Coming can easily become anxious or speculative (Matthew 24:36). But when the Gospel governs us, that is when we remember that we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), obedience naturally becomes a grateful response rather than a religious duty. The Gospel Hope quietly and faithfully shapes our lives as we await Christ's Second Advent.

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:4).

Scripture also reminds us that this present world is not empty or meaningless time. It is the place where God’s glory is displayed through ordinary faithfulness lived before his face (1 Corinthians 10:31). Even moments of tension and unresolved longing are not in vain. They belong to a greater purpose, as God is training us.

To renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope” (Titus 2:12–13).

So as this year comes to an end, preparing for Christ’s return does not mean stepping outside history to observe it. It means living awake, rooted in our identity in Christ, faithful in the present, and confident that the Author and the Perfector of the story will bring it to its promised end (Hebrews 12).

So, as we come to the end of this year, Christ does not call us to fear the future or to master the times. He calls us to abide in him, so that “when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame” (1 John 2:28). Our readiness is not measured by how much we know, but by whether we are remaining in the grace that first claimed us.

Let us patiently wait for our God, not as religious, but as children.

Let us prayerfully watch, not with anxiety, but with quiet trust in God who is in our midst.

And as we live each day before God, let us be confident that the One who began the good work in us will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

In His Grace Alone,

Pastor Brian Lee