In the past five weeks, I’ve traveled to six different states. Granted, two of those states were just layovers at airports. But I’ve spent multiple days in three other states recently—Arizona, Kentucky, and New Jersey. One thing that amazes me every time I travel is the natural beauty of the varied landscapes. In Tucson, Arizona, the mountains surrounding the city are dramatic, while the vegetation is unassuming. Don’t get me wrong, the Saguaro Cactus can grow over 40’ tall; however, they don’t dominate the landscape like trees back east. It’s probably because they lack leaves, so that everywhere you look, you can still see the desert landscape.
When I was recently in Louisville, Kentucky, which is right on the Ohio River, it was amazing to see barges navigating the waterway, especially since most of the rivers around here aren’t that wide. There is a certain beauty to the slow but steady movement of the river as well as the barge moving through the current. When I’m in New Jersey, I’m usually at the beach. Instead of a slow, steady downstream current, there is the sound of the constant crashing of waves on the shoreline. The rhythmic sound and the sight of the water crashing onto the shore are mesmerizing. But whether you’re listening to the never-ending cycle of waves, looking at the quiet river flowing by, or the cactus-covered mountains of the Southwest, it’s easy to see beauty in the varied landscapes in God’s creation.
The beauty of the church can be seen in the same way. Revelation 7:9-10 reads, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” The New Heaven and New Earth will be populated with believers from around the globe, and each person will bring their own beauty into the kingdom. We won’t all look the same or come from the same cultural background, but we will have one thing in common—we will all worship the one Lord over all, the Lord Jesus Christ! This is possible because God is the creator of all, and He has designed the church to display the varied landscape of His creation. Surprisingly we don’t have to wait until God makes all things new to see it.
I want you to look around next time you’re on vacation or traveling on a Sunday. Find a Bible-believing church near where you will be at worship time, and plan on stopping in to spend time with God’s people. Take in the varied landscape of the kingdom of God as it’s expressed in His church across the country and the world. Then let the varied beauty of God’s people remind you how blessed you are to be part of God’s kingdom. And let me leave you with this—you don’t have to travel across the country to find God’s varied beauty in His church; you may find it in your own hometown as well.