“I, John saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more….Behold, I make all things new.”
Thus begins John’s final vision in the book of Revelation. Keep in mind he is writing for a persecuted Church that is outlawed by the Romans, at a time when being a follower of Jesus Christ was punishable by death. What the visionary calls the former heaven and the former earth is the world in which John’s audience was living. The old order, he assures them, will give way to utter newness in which all of the uncertainty and suffering of the present age are no more. Everything that causes them to suffer, namely chaos, evil, sin and death, will be destroyed. The paradise lost when Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden will be restored.
Two thousand years later, we live in a world vastly different from that of the ancient Church yet one much the same since we still have to contend with evil, sin and death. While our lives are not endangered for being followers of Christ, we still deal with the reality of death and dying, which means being separated from our loved ones. Of all the losses, of all the hurts, of all the pains we experience in life, there is none as strong as death. When we take our last breath and cross over the threshold of death, what is in store for us?
As Christians, we take comfort in the words of scripture, which offer us assurance, like what we heard moments ago from John. “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people.” Many people see death as the end of their existence, the end of life as a continuing function. The Bible has notions of life and death, which may differ from our own, offering us a new insight into what life is.
Life is seen as a community of meaning and death as the act of being excluded from that community. In the Creed, when we talk about the communion of saints, we are professing belief that there are people, once dead, who continue to live. For those who believe in things seen and unseen, there is hope of eternal life, where death is not the last word, but life goes on forever. For God, death means a change in life.
Life is a journey in more ways than one. Some of us have literally journeyed to countless places around the world. Perhaps there is someone here who has never ventured off the island, yet that person too has been on a journey. As Christians, we have a goal. Our final destination, as John tells us, is a new Jerusalem. In that city, God will wipe away every tear, and there will be no more mourning or death, wailing or pain for the old order has passed away. And we will hear God declare, “Behold, I make all things new.”
I am intrigued that the author of Revelation could foresee that some day this world of ours would pass away yet its demise, while not likely to happen in our lifetime, is certainly eminent in the opinion of some either due to global warming or the tragedy of nuclear war. When that happens all evil will be destroyed. I envision God going to work to create a new heaven and a new earth. There will be a new home for humanity, one that the heavenly peace we yearn for will prevail. That will be possible for evil will no longer exist.
Several verses later, John issues a warning that as followers of Christ, we must strive to prepare in this lifetime for life in the new Jerusalem, which means turning away from sin here and now. As Paul said to his audience, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” In other words, there is no smooth road to the new Jerusalem in this lifetime because we are so often assailed by sin and temptations, which is why Paul is urging us to persevere in the faith.
In the gospel, Jesus offers us the antidote for overcoming sin and evil. Consider this his last lesson since he said this at the Last Supper, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Love comes in many shades but in this instance, Jesus is telling us to love one another as he has loved us. That is what makes this a new commandment. Thus we need to consider the many ways he has loved us. Notice through out the gospels how he loved those whom he encountered. We follow his example by repairing what is broken in ourselves, our families, our communities, and in our world. Wherever we find a relationship that is broken or strained, we are to repair it. That act is called forgiveness. The love Jesus speaks of is not simply one of feeling, but is one of acting as well. This love gives us a foretaste of the new Jerusalem.
I received this reflection from a priest friend recently that is worth sharing. “Sometimes it feels like there are so many things in this world that we can’t control. Earthquakes, floods, reality shows. But it’s important to remember the things we can, like forgiveness, second chances, fresh starts. Because the one thing that changes the world from a lonely place to a beautiful place is love. Love, in any of its forms, love gives us hope.”