The first and the last
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
The beginning and the end. Revelation 22:13
Read Isaiah 48:9—16
When I reverence God, when I hallow his name, when I have no other gods before him, when I am lost in wonder, love and praise, when I am offended that people take God’s name in vain, when I stand amazed in the presence of the one who made heaven and earth, and who will be there at the conclusion of the earth’s story, then I am in the presence of the one who has also freely chosen, for no reason that I can argue, to turn towards me for my good. I could not know him if he had not. I can only know him because he has done this, and he has called me.
Prayer
Holy God over all creation, you made the heavens and the earth. They attend to you. You are the first and the last. And here I am. You have chosen to be my God. You have chosen not to be without me. You have determined that you would be moved by my plight, concerned for me, and that in my little life you should be the first and the last. The first, the origin of my being. The last, the goal of my days. That you should be mindful of me, that you should care about me. That I, even I, should be able to read this off all your work. That I should read it and know it as the centre of your work, as the commitment of Jesus Christ to me and to all humanity. That is wonder enough for love and praise.