Faithfulness of Christ- Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Faithfulness is often imagined as standing still, guarding what was, resisting what is new. But genuine faithfulness, the kind rooted in the life of Jesus and the ongoing work of the Spirit, is more like a river than a rock: anchored to its source, but flowing, adapting, carving new paths over time.

Today, as we close this series, we reflect on how Jesus’ teachings evolved; not to abandon the faith but to open up ever greater expressions of love and hope. Through the words of Hebrews and Revelation, we hear a call to a faithfulness that is both anchored in Jesus and moving forward into God’s ongoing, and never ending, creation.*

Jesus: Consistent Actions of Love

Hebrews 13 offers a paradox that lies at the heart of Christian life:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

At first glance, this might sound like a call to resist all change. Yet, when we read it alongside the surrounding verses, or the whole context of the story being told, we read commands to love one another, to extend hospitality, to remember those who suffer, to do good and share what we have. When we read this, we realize that faithfulness to Jesus is not about preserving traditions for tradition’s sake. It is about embodying the unchanging spirit of Christ’s love in ever-changing circumstances. 

You may have heard me say in the past, and I’ll say it in the present and continue in the future, that even God changes; and I truly believe that God does change with creation. Now, even thought I believe that God changes, there is something essential about God that I believe never changes, and that is God’s foundational characteristic of love. Everything that proceeds from God. Everything that inspires God. Everything that has God’s name written on it must come from God’s character, which is love. Which is why we read in scripture that “God is love”. Love is the foundation upon which is not shaken, nothing can replace, and only that which is good, pleasing, and perfect can develop from this foundation and then build upon it without changing it. 

It is due to this foundation of God’s unchanging love that we can talk about the consistency of Jesus does not lie in rigid forms, but in unwavering love. His life, death, and resurrection reveal a God whose commitment to relationship never wavers, even as the ways that love is expressed continue to evolve with the needs of the world. The ways of expressing love evolve, even though love cannot increase or decrease because Love IS, the same way God IS; always has been, IS, and always will be love. 

From a Process Theology perspective, God’s essential character, love, is steadfast, but the ways that God’s love engages the world are dynamic and responsive. As history unfolds, as creation changes, God’s invitations adapt, or change, to call forth the best possibilities available in each moment. Remember, we serve a moment-by-moment God, not a static deterministic God. 

Jesus’ faithfulness is the same because love is the same. Yet Jesus’ teachings, and our faithfulness, must always find new forms in response to new realities. You see, this scripture reading and interpreting thing is not as clear and concise as some people want to make it out to be.*

Remembering and Reimagining

Hebrews 13 also urges the community to “remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7). This means that you really do need to have good leaders. Not people seeking out their own gain or desiring to control others for revenge purposes. Even not leaders who only want to elevate to the next level created by humanity’s hierarchy. You need good leaders who will challenge you to evolve in expressing love while remaining faithful to the foundational love of God.  

Faithfulness begins with memory. We honor those who taught us, who shaped us, who bore witness before us. We do not dismiss their insights, struggles, or sacrifices. Their faithfulness should anchor us in God’s love. Yet, I do have to say, memory alone is not enough. Hebrews calls us to imitate their faith, not necessarily their forms. Faith is trust in God’s ongoing movement; God never stops. To imitate their faith is to live courageously and responsively in our own time, not to freeze their practices,  but to continue their spirit of trust, creativity, and hope.

This pattern runs throughout Scripture if we truly open our eyes to see it.  Abraham’s faith meant leaving behind familiar territory for an unknown land. Giving up parts of who he was, even what he believed, and follow a new way of love being revealed. Moses’ faith meant challenging an empire and leading a people into freedom. This is after decades of hiding in fear for his life from the very empire that raised him and from whom he seeks liberation and freedom for his own people, who didn’t claim him and was the workforce of the empire. The early Christians’ faith meant embracing a crucified Messiah and rethinking covenant beyond ethnic boundaries. Faithfulness is dynamic. It demands remembering with gratitude and reimagining with courage even if it means changing traditions or setting them aside altogether.*

The New Creation: God’s Work Is Not Finished

Now, Revelation 21 proclaims a vision of astonishing hope:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… See, the home of God is among mortals” (Revelation 21:1–3). Friends, this is not a picture of destruction, but one of renewal. God is not abandoning creation but transforming it. God is making all things new but not discarding the past. God is redeeming it and fulfilling its deepest possibilities.

Notice that the voice from the throne says, “See, I am making all things new.” Not “I made all things new”, which is past tense. Not “I will someday make all things new”, future only. But “I am making”, which is present and ongoing. This speaks of an active and faithful God that continues to co-create within what humanity is becoming. 

Faithfulness, then, means participating in God’s ongoing work of new creation.

It means expecting change. Change is not as a threat to our faith, it is a fulfillment of it.

Open and Relational Theology emphasizes that God’s future is open and so is ours. Revelation is not a script that plays out unchanged; it is a promise that love will prevail as we partner with God to build the future together. Our choices actually do matter. Our openness to transformation matters. Faithfulness involves active participation in God’s present-tense work of renewal.*

Practicing Evolving Faithfulness

What does this look like for us today? Let’s look at four things.

1. Love Remains Central.

Hebrews 13 opens with the simplest, clearest command: “Let mutual love continue.”

No matter what changes around us, things like technology, politics, and culture, the call to love does not change. Faithfulness means keeping love at the center of our personal lives, our church communities, and our engagement with the world.

2. Tradition as Inspiration, Not Imitation.

We honor those who came before us, but we do not idolize their context. Our task is not to repeat the past, but to let the past inspire new expressions of grace and justice in our time. This includes rethinking how we worship, how we structure community, and how we witness to God’s love in an increasingly diverse and complex world.

3. Ongoing Sacrifice of Praise.

Hebrews 13:15 urges us to offer “a sacrifice of praise…that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.” In ancient times, sacrifices were static rituals. Jesus transforms sacrifice into a dynamic, relational act of gratitude and witness. Our worship is not confined to the sanctuary. It flows into daily acts of kindness, advocacy, creativity, and joy.

4. Doing Good and Sharing Resources.

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16). Faithfulness is tangible. It shows up in how we use our time, our money, our voices, and our energy. In a world of increasing polarization and scarcity narratives, generous community-building is a radical act of hope.*

A United Methodist Vision: Open to New Creation

In the United Methodist tradition, our theological task is described as both rooted and dynamic. We utilize, what has been termed, the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral”(scripture, tradition, reason, and experience) not as four rigid authorities, but as a living conversation through which the Spirit can speak.

The goal is not to preserve structures unchanged, but to remain anchored in Christ’s love while courageously moving forward. This is why Methodists have historically led movements for abolition, women’s rights, education, healthcare, and global mission. Each generation discerns anew how to live out God’s love.

Today, as the world faces unprecedented challenges, climate change, economic inequality, technological disruption, widespread loneliness, the Spirit still calls us forward. Jesus’ faithfulness is the same: love embodied, grace poured out, hope made flesh. But the forms of faithfulness must evolve to meet the needs of our time.*

Anchored in Love, Open to Newness

Jesus’ faithfulness is the same yesterday, today, and forever—not because he resists change, but because his love is the unchanging heart at the center of every faithful adaptation. God’s work of new creation is not a one-time event, but an ongoing promise that we are invited to live into. We are not called to fearfully cling to the past, but to boldly step into God’s ever-new future.

Faithfulness is not about resisting change for its own sake. Faithfulness is about trusting the One who makes all things new while joining in that holy, ongoing work.

May we remember the faithful ones who came before us. May we embody Christ’s unchanging love in fresh and creative ways. May we trust that even now, God is making all things new through your participation. And may our lives become part of that beautiful, unfolding story through the faithfulness of the one we call Lord Jesus. Amen.