Afterword

There comes a point when language fails. The tongue falls silent, and typing fingers rest. The search for words to articulate feeling ceases and a hushed reverence is the only possible response.

The characters we have followed in this story are, of course, avatars through which we have explored some of our thoughts around the process of reconciliation. They are motifs representing elements within the spectrum of human being.

We leave our characters lost in awe at the magnitude of what Agape Love is doing. They have come to understand a little of the ongoing story of God. We do not know for certain what the future holds for humankind, but we believe we have glimpsed a vision of an unfolding story where the source of all continues to create and recreate from the generosity of Agape Love.

If you have read our depiction of a village on Zion and felt that you would hate to live in such a village, do remember that God loves variety. Human history is full of wonderful diversity, and we are sure that won’t change in the Ages to come. We believe he will create many environments suitable for each individual character once they have matured to live by Agape Love. Humankind will know a freedom to live as never before, to live and move and ‘be’ in an expansive environment.

Have you ever known what it is to be loved? To be held? To be told that everything will be alright? It’s what every single human craves. At our core we all need to hear this. It’s good news, because so much in our lives wants to tell us the opposite.

Many theologians from many faith traditions have espoused the virtues of love. Many believers trust in a God that is love. However, not many have attempted a theory of how such a God would love creation into eternity – the Ages to come - and into maturity.

Whatever we have done, whoever we thought we were and identities we’ve assumed, we are convinced we are all included in God’s plan for redemption. No one has ever burned the bridge to Agape Love, and we believe nobody ever could. If such a thing were true, God’s love would not be Agape, the highest form of love. As the Apostle Paul stated; this love hopes all things, bares all things, and keeps no record of wrongs.

The belief that everyone is loved by God can give hope to anyone. This vision of the future leaves no one behind; that’s why it’s called Hope For Everyone. However, this may not be immediately encouraging to those currently in difficult circumstances. Life on this planet can be very cruel. Our belief is that God is encouraging those who are able, to provide comfort to those in need. Unfortunately, only a limited number are willing to truly love their neighbour and many are left to suffer.

God holds this world, this creation, your life and mine, and wants us to know that we are loved, that everything will be alright. This is what we understand as ‘the gospel’ – the good news. God doesn’t abandon any of us. Not one person slips through God’s fingers into some abyss or, even worse, is put into eternal torture.

To such ideas we say an emphatic, empassioned, and emotional ‘NO’! It’s also an informed, thought-through, and prayerful ‘NO!’. This story and our accompanying project, Love Above All Things, is aiming to share resources that aid a thoughtful and honest exploration of this good news.

Our modus operandi isn’t to argue or convince, but rather to invite and facilitate investigation into what we believe. We are far from alone in holding these convictions. People of faith throughout the centuries have believed very similar things (the old Greek name for these ideas is Apokatastasis). There are myriad of books, blogs, talks, essays and histories about these beliefs to discover and explore. Indeed, the best stories inspire us to dream bigger dreams, hope bigger hopes, and engage with life in an energised and positive way. Many resources that we have found useful are listed on our resources site.

We are exploring ideas of the process; the how of love. The ‘mechanics’ of redemption and reconciliation. We want to hear from other people who have views on such issues. We must stress that we don’t think we have definitive answers to these big questions. But, we are nourished by the discussion of how a loving parental God, who is like both Father and Mother, could guide creation into healing and wholeness, without coercion or force. As we discover more, our hearts are filled with excitement for what is to come. Though there may be trials and hardship on the road to maturity, we trust that it will be more than worth it.

It is not possible to finish a story that continues into the eternal ages to come, we have just had to stop at a convenient point. It’s difficult, and probably impossible, for us to fully comprehend what The Ages ahead hold for creation. Fundamentally, we believe that this strange, wonderful, terrible, beautiful experience we find ourselves in is full of meaning. Absolutely nothing is wasted. All things can, and will, be made new in the fullness to come.

We believe we that Everyone is loved. We are all held. And that All Will Be Well for everyone eventually.