”24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. I Corinthians 15:24-26.

I suppose it’s a bit cheeky of me to talk about the end of the world at the beginning of the year... but there you go.
You see... the beginning of this year brings us that one step closer to the end of this age.
Whatever all things we’ve suffered in the year gone by... whatever pain, whatever sorrow, whatever loneliness, whatever disappointment, whatever sickness... we are one step closer to a time when suffering will be over. To the day when Jesus hands the kingdom over to the Father and all enemies of God are done away with... even death.
I’m looking forward to that day so much.
Every life is a balance between things that are so mind bogglingly wonderful and things that are so awfully difficult. We can be swept away in the wondrous raptures of love or become awestruck by the beauty of a boy and then we can be impaled by a love lost or by the loneliness that comes from knowing that we boylovers will always miss out on the freedoms to enjoy companionship others take for granted.
But on that day...
On the day the end comes...
All the pain goes away and only the good stuff remains.
And today... on the first day of the year.... we are one step closer to that glorious day.
Come Lord Jesus.

Prayer
Father, thank You for sending your Son Jesus to give his life for us, to bring us into your kingdom, and to give us a hope for a glorious future. Help us to look at our lives now in the light of that hope so that we are always grateful for the joys and patient in the suffering. Above all Father, this year I pray that all of those who are part of this forum may find loving relationships and support to share the joys and struggles that lay ahead and keep us in faith until the day Jesus appears.

Amen.