Paradise

God created this world so beautiful and so good. There was harmony and peace and joy and togetherness everywhere. The four basic relationships of life were perfect: People loved God; People loved each other; People loved themselves; and they loved God’s creation. It was a world of love and unity. Paradise. It was like heaven on earth.

A Broken World

But it’s not like that now! Today there seems to be so much brokenness and hatred and misery around. Those four relationships are fractured: people are at war with God, at war with one another, they have major issues with themselves, and creation is abused and ruined.  Sometimes it seems like hell on earth.

What went wrong? Adam and Eve chose to go their own way and rebelled against God. Turning away from God they decided to do things their way; this is sin, and sin brought death. Death is disintegration and separation.  And the four basic relationships broke and we see the sad results all around us.

Find out more through Alpha

We will hold another Alpha starting January 2024

Our next 8-week course will start at 7.30pm on Thurs 25th Jan 2024. This will include a meal, a video on an aspect of Christianity, then time for discussion. To inquire please contact us on contact@hookchurch.org, or complete the following booking link

The Restorer

But God so loved the world that he sent His Son, Jesus, from heaven to earth to deal with sin and to repair all this brokenness.  Jesus came to bring in his kingdom of love, unity and joy. Wherever he went he preached the good news that his kingdom was near. He urged people to repent of their sin and believe in God and enter His kingdom to experience restoration. He began putting things together again. He fixed relationships with God, with people, with themselves and with creation.

But it all came at a huge cost to Jesus. He had to undo all that sin had ruined, and take away the wrath of God against sin.  In order to restore humanity, he had to be destroyed. In order to reverse death, he had to die. In order to bring people back to God he had to be separated from God.  All this happened on the cross where Jesus took evil and sin and brokenness upon himself, and turned aside the wrath of God. This is why he suffered so terribly.  

But the Cross is not the last word. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead and came out of the grave to a new life. He now offers us new life – a life that is reconciled to God, loves other people, accepts ourselves, and cares for creation.  This is life in abundance and it begins the moment you enter the kingdom of God.

Paradise Regained

Of course this new life is not perfected yet. We still live in a fallen, broken world. The disciple of Jesus is a new person living in an old world; a restored person living in a broken world.  But one day God will make everything new, a new creation, where the four basic relationships will be perfect, forever. This will happen when Jesus returns and God’s dwelling-place will be among people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  And for those who follow Jesus Christ now it will be that way forever and ever.

This is the best news the world has ever heard.