"It is finished!" This Biblical cry was on my lips today as I installed the last pane of glass in the grandfather clock and synchronized the chime with the time. It didn't really take that long, and was a relatively straightforward project. I even ground down the edges of one of the glass panes to make it fit, something I've never tried before. Having a son who is a knifemaker helps; he has the equipment I needed. It was pretty cool to watch the edge of the glass take shape against the sanding belt.
This project is nothing compared to the original "It is finished!" cry of Jesus on the cross, and my satisfaction is pretty miniscule both in scope and significance compared to the work of Christ. But it does help me appreciate the victory that cry represents. If I have a sense of accomplishment from restoring a grandfather clock, I can only imagine the joy of Jesus as he gave that final shout from the cross...and died. To those gathered, it looked like utter defeat, but he knew as they did not that in fact it was just that, but that it was not he who was defeated, but Satan and the power of death and hell.
His work on earth was finished, but sometimes we fail to grasp the significance of it. Like the disciples, we look around at the gathered powers of this world and scatter in fear. It took the gift of the Holy Spirit for them to begin to understand what Jesus had accomplished. The same holds true for us today. If we look at the sinister powers of this world as they gather together with greater and greater momentum against God's people, we too, will scatter in fear and defeat. It takes the filling of the Holy Spirit, the life of God himself living inside us to stop running in fear and be able to stand with confidence to proclaim the reign of God.
I finished a clock today, but 2,000 years ago, Jesus finished salvation. I can listen for the chime telling me the hour, but it is more important for me to be listening for his voice saying, "fear not, for I am with you till the end of the age."
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