And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before. - C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”  - Revelation 21:1-5

These are the final words that I read at my father’s funeral. But it is not the first time I have read them together. They appear in almost all the momentous events that have taken place in my family’s history. And not only the grievous ones but the joyful moments as well, such as weddings and graduations. Why am I so compelled by these words? Because they remind me of two great realities.

First, sorrows are real but they are not forever. Jesus does not ask us to delude ourselves about our experience of this broken and fallen world. Pain is real. Mourning is real. Sickness is real. Death is real. In the Narnian tales, the characters face trials and struggles. And the history of God’s people is littered with opposition and heartbreak. It is not that the sorrows are figments of our imaginations. But we hold on, in faith, that they are temporary and will one day be no more. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Second, this life contains real joys but they are only a foretaste of what is to come. Some might hear the first point and assume this life is nothing but sorrow. But that would be as false as denying the sorrows. The world is broken but not completely destroyed from its original intent. God has blessed us immensely and in those blessings, especially the gift of Himself, there is much to give thanks for and to rejoice in. The key is that we not let these earthly joys become idols that distract us from the hope we have of joy inexpressible.

So, saints, let us be sober minded, as the Scriptures instruct us, but let us not become somber. Let us rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). Let us follow the example of Paul who could say that we are sorrowful, yet always rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10). And let us remember that our Savior is a man of sorrows yet for the joy set before him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).