1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

6 The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."

7 "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book."

8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me.

9 But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"

10 Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.

11 Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy."

12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."

17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.

19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The Christian life is an active process that has been described by various metaphors. It has been likened to a race, to a battle, to a journey-all metaphors that emphasize the importance of "getting ready." We "get ready" by striving for discipline, endurance, and vigilance-all of which have power to enhance our relationship with God. But when all is said and done, we are reminded in this final chapter of the book of Revelation, that God ultimately wants something fundamentally simple from us. The culmination of Scripture is an invitation by God, as manifested in the words of the Spirit and the Bride, simply to "Come...everyone who hears...everyone who is thirsty...everyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift."

We live in a culture that equates what we do with who we are. We are expected to justify our existence by our professional, familial, educational, and/or financial standings. Too often, we buy into the world's lie that the more we have, the more we are. "The one who dies with the most toys, wins." As a result, it is easy to find ourselves falling into the trap of gauging our spiritual lives with the same flawed yardstick: we are what we do. In other words, we come to equate our Christian disciplines with the Christian life, that is we believe that what we do defines who we are to God.

God is lovingly reminding us in this final chapter of Revelation that the Christian life begins and ends with a profoundly simple invitation, to "Come." This invitation is for everyone; with the only requirement being that one recognizes that he or she has a deep-seated need for "the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

What is amazing about this invitation is that God is calling us to come as we are now-at this very moment and not yet in a perfected state. Why is that? The answer is found in what is implicit in the invitation. Contained in the invitation is a warning to not get too caught up in our "doings." God wishes to guard us from believing we are self-sufficient, or that we can actually do enough to earn God's good graces. The Lord's invitation to "come" is His clear wish for us to stay close to Him. We stay close when we recognize that it is God's grace that justifies and not our own "doings." Second, clearly embedded in God's invitation is the inclusion of all who are thirsty and wish to receive the gift. The only prerequisite to this invitation is the recognition of one's need for something or someone outside themselves, and not to be "good" (As if we define good, not God!).

Is your Christian life cluttered with "doings?" When is the last time you responded to the simple invitation to come? Many of us are too busy to "stop and smell the roses," and we find ourselves "doing" our lives to death. Our busyness shields us from our fear of the existential task of discovering meaning in all our doings.

This day, take time out to "do an inventory." Write down what defines your Christian life. Has your Christian life been reduced to a list of activities-doing your quiet time, going to Bible study, attending church, praying before meals and bedtime-or does it include new ways of thinking and being that are renewed daily by your ability to heed Jesus' calling to "come"?

Today, especially if you have been busy with "doing," accept God's invitation to just "Come." Give thanks today that it is not what you do, but rather God's grace that ultimately defines who you are. Celebrate this invitation by setting aside a day this week to come to God, immersing yourself in God's creation. If that is not possible, use your morning commute or a few moments each evening to not "do", but just "be" in God's presence.