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Reverend Phil Price  
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“Making All Things New”

Revelations 21:1-6a
November 1, 2009

In the highly symbolic language of end-times literature, this morning’s New Testament reading is a beautiful proclamation of our Christian hope. As we, like the writer of Revelation and the people for whom this text was written, grow weary, suffer great pain and loss, we, like them, long for a time and a place where there will be no more pain and grief, where there will be no more death. This is what we hope for the “saints” who have died, and this is what we hope for ourselves. Every day, but most of all on All Saints’ Day, we must proclaim this message of Christian hope. It is for this that we are called.

Please listen for how the Spirit is speaking through the word of God found on page 244 of the New Testament section of your pew Bibles from John’s Revelation chapter twenty-one verses one through six…

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. ²And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And 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 God himself will be with them; ⁴he 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.” ⁵And 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.” ⁶Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”

This is God’s word to us…

          If you are a news-junkie like me; then you know the headlines of late have been rather bleak.  On Sunday last, we woke to the news of a horrific dual bombing of Iraqi government buildings in central Baghdad.  On Monday and Tuesday we were confronted with two dozen American fatalities in Afghanistan.  On Wednesday & Friday the markets tumbled due to news of lower than expected new-home sales; and news of weak consumer spending and low confidence.  And throughout the rest of the week we’ve heard of long lines and availability issues related to H1N1 vaccines.

          And that’s just a sampling of this week’s News stories.  Think about how over the last number of years dissatisfaction has been the “coin of the realm”.   For the first eight years of this new century progressives and independents have bemoaned America’s imperial dominance of the globe.  And now as we ready ourselves to move into the second decade of this new millennia independents and conservatives are getting their fair-shake and deriding a government takeover of the private sector. 

          Whether it is legitimate bad news in the media or the see-saw effect of ever shifting American politics with one party being “in” while the other is on the “outs” it feels like a difficult time to be alive.  Still, it isn’t any worse than the world in which the Christians of Asia Minor—today’s western tip of Turkey—lived, the community to which John of Patmos wrote his Revelation.  While it is often difficult for us to understand and interpret, the book of Revelation was originally written to convey comfort and hope to Christians who lived in troubled times.

          Written to communities of Jewish-converts around the end of the first century those ancient brothers and sisters of faith lived in a world similar to ours in that they daily faced questions of how fervently to live their faith.  How much could they talk about Jesus at work?  Would their peers appreciate hearing to what extent Jesus had changed their heart?  When would it be appropriate, if ever to broach the subject of the love of God found in Jesus Christ with family, friends and acquaintances who did not share their religious convictions?

          It is into this uncertain world that John shared his vision of a new heaven and new earth where God’s home would be among human beings; where God’s very self will wipe away our tears; where God will ensure that death has no place; where cries of grief and pain will vanish; and where the very King of Glory, Jesus himself will proclaim: “See, I am making all things new.” 

          This is the message of Revelation a message of hope; a message that no matter what befalls us, no matter how crazy the world is that surrounds us that God will triumph in the end.  Unlike a certain pair of fiction writers, John of Patmos the original author of this biblical book points us to never losing sight of the fact that it is God through God’s Son Jesus Christ who has all the power and who alone triumph in this world. 

No matter how distraught we may be come; no matter whether our boogeyman is a Liberal Speaker of the House or a terribly successful radio talk-show personality; or the injustice that drives you to distraction is the scourge of socialistic government policies or overly corrupt corporations God reigns supreme.  Regardless of how pinched we feel in this new economy, God’s love remains.  Even as we face mounting health care costs and uncertainty over how to pay for it all the Great Physician remains by our side.

          This message of never losing hope of never losing sight of who is ultimately in control is the driving message of this last book of the Bible that John Calvin thought of as too strange to be included in the Bible.  And yet, if we can get past all the unfamiliar first century imagery; if we can ignore the fanciful interpretations of this book of the Bible that have been made into quasi-fantasy Christian novels and movies, then we just might catch the vision John wanted us to grasp.  That is, John wanted us always to keep in mind God’s desires for us and for our community.

          John of Patmos wanted those first hearers of his vision to never lose their connection to Jesus, to never lose their connection to Jesus’ followers, to never lose their connection to both those who had made the way for the arrival and birth of Jesus as well as those who helped to form the first churches of Jesus Christ throughout the Mediterranean world.  In a similar way, on this All Saints’ Day we read this passage from Revelation because it compels us to pause and consider those who have passed on recently as well as considering the future which they now entrust to us.

          For the first century audience of Revelation they would have pictured in their imagination the inhabitants of the new heaven and new earth; as those who walked with Jesus as well as those who had so recently walked among them as fellow sisters and brothers of faith.  In a similar way we can picture a brighter future as we remember a few of our sisters and brothers of faith who have preceded us into the next life. We remember these saints who have gone-on before us so that we might imagine how to continue the ministries which they were so passionate about and perhaps expand what they held so dear.  By continuing what they started we will be extending John’s vision of a new heaven and a new earth to come.

          Even as Betty Olmstead is no longer with us, her passion for the Scotch Shop continues in the work of Circle 5.  I can still remember seeing her car pulled up in front of the church and I knew that she, most often accompanied by Katie Barker would be busy at work getting things ready for another Wednesday or Sunday of opening the church’s thrift shop for customers.  The work they did was not simply about selling things, but to generate funds that could be used to accomplish many wonderful things in the name of Jesus.  I imagine that there are many here today who remember Betty calling to your attention the list of things purchased or ministries supported by all of the work done in the Scotch Shop. 

          Or what about Beverly Heitz who for many years attended the Sight-impaired Bible study of Friday mornings; even as she was all but blind she shared her love of the Lord with her friends for over a decade every Friday morning.  And wherever she was, whether attending a social at Bridgeview or gathered with all of us for worship on Sunday morning, Beverly’s smile and approachable manner did much to build the kingdom of God.  I believe Beverly would have wanted us to continue welcoming others in Jesus’ name with openness in the way of Jesus that she exemplified so well.

          And then I think about Lyle Frazier whose unassuming presence held a passionate regard for the community; both within the body of Christ and out there in the world where Christ has called us to live and serve.  Throughout a lifetime of banking Lyle was dedicated to doing what he could to better the lives of many as well as the different communities throughout the Magic Valley.  Long before bankers engaged in risky investments like derivatives, Lyle understood that banking helps ensure the very fabric of the community by making loans and helping people to save for the future.

          Although I won’t go into all the lives of all those who have preceded us over this past year it is important for us to pause and remember them because without their witness, without their dedication to the Lord both within this church and out in the wider community where would we be?  Being a saint may not be a word that any one of them would have chosen to describe themselves, but if being a “saint” is simply being a child of God and following in the way of Jesus as God’s Son then Lyle, Beverly, Betty and all those who have preceded us in this past year were all saints of God.

          That we are all saints of God is spelled out in the last song that we will sing this morning which says:

They lived not only in ages past,

There are hundreds of thousands still;

The world is bright with the joyous saints

Who love to do Jesus’ will.

You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea,

In church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea;

For the saints of God are just folk like me,

And I mean to be one too.

On this All Saints Sunday we remember those saints of God who have gone on to be with God as well as remembering the way in which their lives were a witness to the power of Jesus Christ.  And when we remember our sisters and brothers who have passed-on maybe we can then keep in mind a vision of what they would hope for us to accomplish; works that they began and that we can build upon and expand. 

Perhaps we can spend time praying about how we can expand on the mission outreach that inspired Betty Olmstead to give countless hours to the work of the Scotch Shop.  Or maybe we could figure out how God is calling us to work to make the community of Twin Falls and other communities throughout the Magic Valley stronger through the inspiration of Lyle Frazier.   Or we can keep Beverly Heitz in mind when engaging in the ministry of hospitality with the same grace that Beverly brought when she spent time with others.

By keeping such things in mind; by remembering the saints who have gone-on before us; by building on what they have started we are in effect living out the vision that John of Patmos had so long ago and we are living out the hope that God’s way becomes our way.  By following in the footsteps of our beloved who have passed-on who dedicated themselves to follow in the way of Christ we too are helping to make all things new by bringing about the faith, hope and love of Jesus here in this place and throughout our lives wherever we may be.        

Amen.

 

 

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