A Labor of Love

July 21st, 2025

Matthew 24:1-8.

Rachel’s daughter was born early. Barely over six pounds, with a head full of dark hair, this perfect little beauty stole her husband’s heart at first sight. Her birth mother had been in and out of the hospital several times before Hattie arrived, experiencing contractions for weeks leading up to the day of birth. When the day arrived, she was in active labor for a very short 45 minutes! The weeks prior seemed like endless ages of waiting through the unexpected struggles of early labor.

If we examine Jesus’ prophecy at the beginning of Matthew 24, we encounter imagery of a crumbling temple. The disciples sought to know when these events would occur and if they signaled the end of all things. The destruction of the temple came to pass in AD 70, yet the birth pangs of the world and the kingdom colliding continue even today.

Friends, the waiting may seem painful, with an elusive end in sight, but one thing we can trust in is that all struggle and pain will culminate in a new heaven and a new earth. The kingdom of God will arrive in all its fullness, and all that is laboring shall one day birth the perfection of our coming Lord.

Author: Rachel Kuhn