“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 ESV)
Monument
We build monuments to celebrate ‘firsts.’ The crossing place of the first settlers going across the Mississippi River… the location of the first meeting of the Continental Congress…. the first printing press… the birthplace of the first King of England.
We also build monuments to celebrate ‘lasts.’ The final resting place of a famous general… a book about the “Last of the Mohicans”… retirement parties on the last day of work… the final concert of your favorite band.
But our Lord God is better than those monuments. As much as we enjoy them, the Lord our God is indescribably better. He literally IS the first. He literally IS the last. Because He is indescribably eternal.
And uniquely, Jesus is the monument to Himself. A church is not a monument to Jesus, He does not need one. A statue is not a monument to Jesus, He does not need one. A holiday is not a monument to Jesus, He does not need one.
Those things might help direct our attention to Him, of course. But they are not monuments.
That’s why the final words in this verse are, “the Almighty.”
That means He does not need anything else.
But He enjoys our praise, our thanksgiving, our attention, our love, and our worship.
Those things are as close to a monument as we can add.
We are peculiar, we have THE monument.