May 19, 2019 – Revelation 21:1-6
Revelation 21:1-6
A New Heaven and a New Earth
Fifth Sunday of Easter – May 19, 2019
First Lutheran Church – Winnipeg, MB
We call this last book of the Bible Revelation,
because it reveals to us what is really going on in the world.
It is called an ‘apocalypse’ or an ‘unveiling’ because John’s vision unveils what is going on
in the world and what its ultimate destiny is –
and John reveals that destiny to be a good one.
It is an extremely hopeful book – and it was written to encourage the Christian communities
he was writing to to be part of God’s mission to bring in that good, ultimate destiny.
Revelation is not about the destruction of this world.
Revelation is not about good Christians being raptured away from this evil world.
Rather, it is about the fulfillment of God’s dream for this world.
And it is about who is really in charge – and it is not Caesar or any of the mighty ones of
this world who seek to rule the world and bend people to their will through violence,
might, wealth, threat, intimidation, exploitation or economic monopolies.
Rather the ultimate and deciding power in the universe is revealed to be lamb-power –
the power of love most perfectly manifested in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
It is love that ultimately changes you for the better – as we all know.
And it is love, John is affirming, that ultimately will change this world.
It is love that leads to social transformation.
But: Is it possible to believe in a transformed social world – and if so, how does it come about?
You always have to remember that John was writing to very specific people –
almost 2000 years ago – to encourage them in Christian living in their daily lives.
He writes to seven different Christian congregations who struggle in various ways
in being faithful participants in God’s mission to love, bless, heal and feed this world
and every person in it.
Well – you can relate, right?
They had their obstacles to being the faithful people God was calling them to be.
And you have your obstacles to being the faithful people God is calling you to be.
The obstacles they faced were 1: persecution. They were persecuted for
gathering together and placing Jesus at the centre of their lives, rather than Caesar.
And 2: apathy. It was a lot easier to just blend in and adjust to life in the empire rather than
act, rather than do stuff that attempted to change life in the empire.
John writes to both: he provides hope and comfort for those who are being persecuted.
And he provides challenge to those who are being apathetic and encouragement to
be part of the solution to this world’s woes.
And this morning, John still provides hope as well as challenge.
It’s not easy being a faithful follower of Christ and
it’s not easy being a faithful member of a Christian congregation.
You here this morning? You are doing a good job! But I know it is not easy for you.
You have many people to care for – you have family members and friends.
Children and grandchildren. Parents and grandparents.
There are many calls on your time.
But you are also caring for those outside your family circles –
people in this congregation and in this neighbourhood.
You are part of the solution to this world’s woes.
And – while definitely challenging – in this hour John is seeking to encourage you and
give you hope that it is all worth it.
Because God is bringing in a whole new world –
and a big part of the way God is doing that is through you.
What we get today from John is from the second last chapter in the Bible.
The story is near completion or fulfilment – and what John sees happen in the end is amazing.
The trauma and the violence and the chaos are all past.
God has banished the evil around us and the evil within us from this world forever.
And so there is a “new heaven and a new earth,” John says.
Although what it says in Greek literally is a “fresh” heaven and earth – that is,
refreshed, renewed, renovated.
It is the same heaven and earth, but renovated or made like new –
the old heaven and earth were so well made they just need restoring – like
that antique piece of furniture that simply needs refinishing to be like new again.
This world can be restored . . . and it is – earth and heaven are renewed.
Those aspects of the old order that have no place in God’s intention for this world –
death, mourning, crying, pain, injustice, inequality, prejudice, addiction, mental illness,
unemployment – you name it – those things will be no more.
And the tears that those things have caused us?
God – God’s very self – will wipe every single one of them from our eyes.
Heaven will come to earth. God will finally dwell with us.
Perfection will come – and in John’s vision perfection is . . . a city!
A city where people from all different nations will dwell together in harmony.
And where all the basic necessities necessary for life will be available to all, free of charge.
Yes: we expect perfection to be a beautiful garden – but John’s vision is very urban.
It’s a city where we are made perfect – but a city within which is a garden with a river and trees.
And from the trees will come healing.
Healing will come in the midst of the city.
I love this vision of healing coming in the midst of a city, in the midst of a community of people.
John’s view of salvation and healing and wholeness and well-being is very, very social.
Perfection and healing are to be had in community – communities are powerful.
This vision affirms that they are what we have ultimately been made for.
Heaven is a city – and healing comes in the midst of that city.
Healing comes in communities of God’s people.
This past week Melinda and Pastor Ken and Ministry Manager Rhonda and myself – all four of us members of this First Lutheran community –
we all went to a small one-day conference.
The conference was about how faith communities can help reintegrate
ex-offenders back into communities.
Probably the thing that will stay with me most was a story the main speaker told.
He was a Mennonite minister in Hamilton called Harry Nigh.
One day out of the blue he was asked if he could provide support to a convicted child molester
Named Charlie who had served his sentence and was being released from prison.
Having never done anything like this before, he agreed.
Pastor Harry met with Charlie one on one over a long period of time.
He provided counseling and support.
He invested a lot in their relationship and . . .
I would like to tell you that everything went great but . . . Charlie re-offended.
He was convicted again and sentenced this time to 7 years in jail.
Needless to say, Pastor Harry never wanted anything to do with any ex-offender ever again.
Well, you can guess what happened next.
After 7 years goes by it is time once again for Charlie to be released.
And the only person he wants to be in contact with? Of course: Pastor Harry!
Well, Pastor Harry wants nothing to do with him –
he had been nearly crushed when he’d re-offended last time.
Moreover, this time there was a lot of media attention given to Charlie’s release.
The police publicized his release on the front page of the newspaper.
Convinced he would re-offend just like he did before they were taking no chances and
warning everybody.
Charlie’s picture was circulated to every child in nearby schools.
And so Pastor Harry thought about what to do.
And he thought: last time I worked intensely with him one on one.
And that didn’t work.
Maybe, maybe, this time I need a community to work with him.
Maybe what he needs is more than one person – maybe what he needs is a circle of support,
that could provide him with both support and accountability – and friendship.
So: in his small congregation, he was able to find five or six people who were willing to
meet with Charlie every single day to keep him accountable and to support him
and to provide him with friendship – for as you can imagine, there is probably
no more isolated person on earth than an ex-child-sex-offender:
nobody wanted anything to do with him – and everyone believed he would re-offend.
Well, Charlie never re-offended.
And 17 years later he went to his death having found a community of friendship,
a circle of support and accountability, that enabled him to do no more harm.
It wasn’t a single person that aided the healing of this person – it was a community.
It was a small little city, come down from heaven, in a very specific time and place.
Since then, this way of dealing with ex-sex-offenders has become a program that has been used successfully across the globe in many many countries
It is called Circles of Support and Accountability (http://cosacanada.com/)
Research has shown that re-offending rates for those who participate in the program are
80% lower than for those who do not.
This is how the restoration of God’s world occurs –
in communities of God’s people who put lamb-power to good use.
If you want to see a little bit of the heavenly city on earth, come to our food banks,
come to our community meals, come to our summer children’s program.
You will see people of all nationalities and ethnicities supporting each other,
enjoying each other, and bringing healing to one another.
You will experience God dwelling with us and every once in a while
you will see a tear wiped from another’s person’s eye.
John writes to encourage us – it is love that will change the world.
Social transformation is possible – and it happens in communities of loving people.
It is not easy –
but it is the way toward the future that John has seen and described so beautifully for us.
So with John and all the saints of every time and every place, let us say, “Amen.”
Pastor Michael Kurtz
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