“And He said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful. And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 21:5-6).

Max and two of his buddies were drinking coffee early that morning at the corner diner. Every Monday morning several of the retired man would meet for coffee and goodhearted discussion. Folks in the town called them “the old cronies,” but they liked to view themselves as “the wise ones with years of experience!” Always the discussion was a give and take of ideas, memories, and experiences shared together. That is, until the discussion on that Monday morning a year or two ago. A man by the nickname of J. D. (Jimmy Dale) brought up a question that none of the men could answer. J.D. had nearly completed reading through the book of the Revelation, and he had come across the verses posted above. He asked the other man, “Who is the Alpha and Omega, and what does that mean?” There was silence in the group as the men looked at each other. Max admitted that he had been a Christian for many years. He knew that the term “Alpha and Omega” referred to the Lord Jesus Christ, but he could not remember what those words meant! Kathy, who returned to the group pouring their second cups of coffee, overheard their question. “May I answer that question?” Kathy quietly asked as she poured Max’s cup of coffee. “Sure can! Do you remember what Alpha and Omega means?” someone in the group of men said to her. Holding the coffee pot, Kathy stopped what she was doing and said, “Friends, this is one of the wonderful names of the Lord Jesus. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. This means that the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, is sovereign. He is the first and last and only true and living God.” The men were pleased with her answer. Someone said, “She not only makes good coffee, she’s a pretty good theology teacher as well!”

For today: Aren’t you glad that we belong to the Alpha and Omega!