Praise God in the heights!
Praise God, you heaven of heavens
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord;
for God commanded and they were created.
Mountains and all hills;
fruit trees and all cedars!
Let them praise the name of the Lord!
God's glory is above the earth and heaven!
Psalm 148
Revelation 21:1-6
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her spouse.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and Godself will be with them; 4 God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away."
5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, 'Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life."
Easter and Revelation
Easter is a season of fifty days, seven times seven, a week of weeks! On all seven Sundays in lectionary year C the second reading comes from Revelation. As I ("this blogs") mentioned last week, the book of Revelation shows us how empires everywhere operate. It isn't quite a road map, but it's a kind of guide book for living baptized in the context of empire. This week and next Revelation especially shows us ways to live baptized into the new creation that's a new earth and also a new heaven.
Also from last week—scriptural bookends reveal God as origin of all things and end of all things:
• Genesis 1 and 2: Tree of Life, River of Life, and Garden.
• Revelation 21 and 22: Tree of Life, River of Life, and City (that grows out of a well-tended garden).
Today's Second Reading
Alongside glorious words about the new creation, the response is Psalm 148. All this poetry is about a God so in love with Creation that God chose and still chooses to make a home on earth in the midst of creation. Do you know James Weldon Johnson's poem The Creation?
In 21:1 "the sea was no more" isn't about creation's waters receding and disappearing as we currently fear might happen. Scripture sometimes refers to oceans and seas as code for untamed chaos. In Genesis 1:2 the Spirit of God hovers and breathes and speaks over the formless – empty – deep – darkness—the unordered chaotic waters. In our baptism with Water and Word, God calls and enables us to tame, order, and limit the chaos of empire. And yes, the new creation does have a river with life-giving water—"enough" clear clean water along with all we need of everything else.
Home and dwell in Revelation 21:3 are the same word as "dwelt (dwelled, lived, took up residence)" among us in John 1:14, late Pastor Eugene Peterson tells us God "moved into the neighborhood." The Greek implies a tent-like portable shelter that allows God to journey alongside creation.
Where We Live
This passage from close to the end of the bible reveals how physical, earthbound, and incarnational Christianity is. It reveals God's dreams for creation's wellbeing and provides ideas we can follow to partner with God to create heaven on earth.
God's vision of the reign of the Spirit is shalom justice and bountiful sufficiency. Enough food, safe shelter, healthy community. Good work for good pay in good conditions. Abundant mercy and love. No more sorrow or dying or pain. The end of war and violence. Scripture sings in the language of geography and space, because we are embodied humans solidly situated on land.
Along with 2 Peter 3:13, we proclaim and claim, "According to God's promise we look for new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells." That's quite a vision!
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