The Vision of Hope
Text: Revelation 21:9-10; 22-22:5
Even though she is not here this morning, I wanted to say how grateful I am to Kelta for taking the lead and preaching at last week’s service. When she told me she wanted to continue the theme for Revelation during the Easter season, I told her that she really didn’t have to… but she was genuinely interested in really exploring the symbolic images of the New Heaven and New Earth. I’m grateful for her message, and for her willingness to tackle something that for many is intimidating. I’ve consistently said that Revelation is not something that we should fear at all… and in fact it bears some of the most profound messages of hope in the entire Bible. We just need to re-acquaint ourselves with the highly impressionistic style of language that John used… something that the early Christians would have easily understood.
Oddly enough this week’s reading from Revelation was originally supposed to cover the same verses as last week, and then continue on… I think it’s the only place in the three-year cycle of suggested where there’s a week-to-week overlap. I didn’t want to re-hash what Kelta already covered… so today picks up roughly where last week’s left off.
We have this image of the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, but now it gets into more specifics. It is filled with this wonderful imagery, but laced with so many different symbols and signposts from Hebrew Scripture that it is hard to keep track of all of them.
But even before we get into all of these images… there’s a much more practical aspect. Is delving into all of these images and elements really practical for those of us in the 21st Century… in a culture that demands that things be spelled out in plain, understandable terms? How does late 1st century symbolic language like this make sense for us in a real way?
But does it have to be? Most songs we listen to today are poetry set to music… and much of the time we have little problem connecting with those works. Revelation is a highly poetic work, and as I’ve talked about so far, it serves as the inspiration for a large number of the songs of our faith. “Shall we gather at the River” –They touch us emotionally, and in place that goes beyond the rational parts of our brain. Why is it that someone who has advanced dementia or Alzheimer’s may not even recognize their own children, and yet begin to sing a song from their childhood, and every word comes out as clear as a bell. Revelation is a song of faith, proclaiming to demoralized Christians that soon, and very soon, we are going to see the King… That someday we shall overcome, and we shall be free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!!
As much as I approach my faith from a the rational side of things… there’s a power in these words that speak to the heart… that speaks to our emotional base… and from this they inspire us to press ahead when all rational thought might tell us otherwise.
But the everyday trials that we have are extraordinarily distracting. Most of us would probably be able to identify as everyday struggles that we personally face. They can get all consuming, and prevent us from seeing the bigger picture and how we are all part of it. I can’t name them for you, because they’re different for each of us… be they financial, struggles with health, broken relationships… but John’s words to those early Christians can be encouragement.
Consider this:
The early Christians that John was writing to were a tiny minority, scattered across an empire and very much in isolation from each other. The threat of persecution from the authorities was very much present. It’s not a great place to be when the powers-that-be decide that you are a political threat.
To set this into perspective, by 100 AD there were about forty Christian communities numbering probably no more than 6,000 people total across the entire Roman Empire. When you get a moment, do a search of the numbers of churches in Mississauga, and see how that compares. I’ll give you a hint… there’s more than 40. So while we may not relate well to that same sense of persecution that the early church did, we have more than enough going on in our lives that the feeling of being overwhelmed is perhaps something we can relate to… and then maybe we can begin to hear those poetic words of encouragement.
For the early Christians, this vision of hope is that when all is said and done, no conflict, no power, nothing can stop God’s ultimate plan of living in perfect harmony with all of creation. In the midst of the uncertainties of the future, John of Patmos pulls back the curtain and gives us a glimpse of what God’s ultimate goal really is. By using this image of the New Jerusalem coming and God living amongst the people, it is a word of encouragement that not only is the suffering they are experiencing or are fearful of in the present does not define who they are. Heaven and earth become one in the same…
When John of Patmos describes this new city in such wonderful language, he paints these pictures that the magnificent doors to the city are always open, and that all people of all nations are welcomed. The darker elements of our human nature are stripped away and left outside. It’s message is that nobody is beyond redemption, and that the message of hope is for all people.
I think the biggest mistake we make with the book of Revelation is presume that it is a proclamation of doom. It’s not. Not by a long shot. The second mistake we make is that Revelation is telling us to sit on our hands and do nothing. Again… it is not…
Written at a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, it acknowledged the reality that people were facing, but then has the audacity to point to something more hopeful. Today we can turn on the news, and see massive environmental disasters in the oil spill, the economic unrest in Greece… Revelation speaks to this by reminding us that this is all temporary, and that nothing is capable of overcoming God’s desire to be united with all people in peace and in hope, celebrating life to its fullest.
This vision of hope and calls us to strive to be a part of something better. Don’t be afraid, don’t be overwhelmed, because Jesus works with us to make the world new. We’re not a alone in this. We are far more than observers, but actually part of the kingdom of God.
For those of us who find ourselves on the treadmill of just trying to make ends meet, there’s some real hope here. Revelation calls us to cast our eyes forward and to realize that there really is a greater purpose in life that God invites us to be part of. Our lives mean something to God… we really do matter, no matter how small an insignificant we might feel. This vision of hope helps us to see past all of trials and ordeals that threaten to consume us… and maybe then we can join in on that song of faith, to claim that vision of hope for all people, and be a part of the melody of peace.
Amen.
Even though she is not here this morning, I wanted to say how grateful I am to Kelta for taking the lead and preaching at last week’s service. When she told me she wanted to continue the theme for Revelation during the Easter season, I told her that she really didn’t have to… but she was genuinely interested in really exploring the symbolic images of the New Heaven and New Earth. I’m grateful for her message, and for her willingness to tackle something that for many is intimidating. I’ve consistently said that Revelation is not something that we should fear at all… and in fact it bears some of the most profound messages of hope in the entire Bible. We just need to re-acquaint ourselves with the highly impressionistic style of language that John used… something that the early Christians would have easily understood.
Oddly enough this week’s reading from Revelation was originally supposed to cover the same verses as last week, and then continue on… I think it’s the only place in the three-year cycle of suggested where there’s a week-to-week overlap. I didn’t want to re-hash what Kelta already covered… so today picks up roughly where last week’s left off.
We have this image of the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, but now it gets into more specifics. It is filled with this wonderful imagery, but laced with so many different symbols and signposts from Hebrew Scripture that it is hard to keep track of all of them.
But even before we get into all of these images… there’s a much more practical aspect. Is delving into all of these images and elements really practical for those of us in the 21st Century… in a culture that demands that things be spelled out in plain, understandable terms? How does late 1st century symbolic language like this make sense for us in a real way?
But does it have to be? Most songs we listen to today are poetry set to music… and much of the time we have little problem connecting with those works. Revelation is a highly poetic work, and as I’ve talked about so far, it serves as the inspiration for a large number of the songs of our faith. “Shall we gather at the River” –They touch us emotionally, and in place that goes beyond the rational parts of our brain. Why is it that someone who has advanced dementia or Alzheimer’s may not even recognize their own children, and yet begin to sing a song from their childhood, and every word comes out as clear as a bell. Revelation is a song of faith, proclaiming to demoralized Christians that soon, and very soon, we are going to see the King… That someday we shall overcome, and we shall be free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!!
As much as I approach my faith from a the rational side of things… there’s a power in these words that speak to the heart… that speaks to our emotional base… and from this they inspire us to press ahead when all rational thought might tell us otherwise.
But the everyday trials that we have are extraordinarily distracting. Most of us would probably be able to identify as everyday struggles that we personally face. They can get all consuming, and prevent us from seeing the bigger picture and how we are all part of it. I can’t name them for you, because they’re different for each of us… be they financial, struggles with health, broken relationships… but John’s words to those early Christians can be encouragement.
Consider this:
The early Christians that John was writing to were a tiny minority, scattered across an empire and very much in isolation from each other. The threat of persecution from the authorities was very much present. It’s not a great place to be when the powers-that-be decide that you are a political threat.
To set this into perspective, by 100 AD there were about forty Christian communities numbering probably no more than 6,000 people total across the entire Roman Empire. When you get a moment, do a search of the numbers of churches in Mississauga, and see how that compares. I’ll give you a hint… there’s more than 40. So while we may not relate well to that same sense of persecution that the early church did, we have more than enough going on in our lives that the feeling of being overwhelmed is perhaps something we can relate to… and then maybe we can begin to hear those poetic words of encouragement.
For the early Christians, this vision of hope is that when all is said and done, no conflict, no power, nothing can stop God’s ultimate plan of living in perfect harmony with all of creation. In the midst of the uncertainties of the future, John of Patmos pulls back the curtain and gives us a glimpse of what God’s ultimate goal really is. By using this image of the New Jerusalem coming and God living amongst the people, it is a word of encouragement that not only is the suffering they are experiencing or are fearful of in the present does not define who they are. Heaven and earth become one in the same…
When John of Patmos describes this new city in such wonderful language, he paints these pictures that the magnificent doors to the city are always open, and that all people of all nations are welcomed. The darker elements of our human nature are stripped away and left outside. It’s message is that nobody is beyond redemption, and that the message of hope is for all people.
I think the biggest mistake we make with the book of Revelation is presume that it is a proclamation of doom. It’s not. Not by a long shot. The second mistake we make is that Revelation is telling us to sit on our hands and do nothing. Again… it is not…
Written at a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, it acknowledged the reality that people were facing, but then has the audacity to point to something more hopeful. Today we can turn on the news, and see massive environmental disasters in the oil spill, the economic unrest in Greece… Revelation speaks to this by reminding us that this is all temporary, and that nothing is capable of overcoming God’s desire to be united with all people in peace and in hope, celebrating life to its fullest.
This vision of hope and calls us to strive to be a part of something better. Don’t be afraid, don’t be overwhelmed, because Jesus works with us to make the world new. We’re not a alone in this. We are far more than observers, but actually part of the kingdom of God.
For those of us who find ourselves on the treadmill of just trying to make ends meet, there’s some real hope here. Revelation calls us to cast our eyes forward and to realize that there really is a greater purpose in life that God invites us to be part of. Our lives mean something to God… we really do matter, no matter how small an insignificant we might feel. This vision of hope helps us to see past all of trials and ordeals that threaten to consume us… and maybe then we can join in on that song of faith, to claim that vision of hope for all people, and be a part of the melody of peace.
Amen.
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