He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelations 21:5)
In the beginning of a new year, we hear a lot about newness: new hopes, new resolutions, new scandals, new diseases, and so on. But, in fact, there really isn’t much that’s actually new, other than the change in the calendar. We can pretend that the new year is a big deal, but, in reality, it’s pretty much a continuation of last year. Even things that feel new will soon become familiar and routine. Contrast this with what God says in Revelation 21:5: “I am making everything new.” Not just the year. Not just a few things around the edges of reality, but all things! Everything! When God engages in renewal, all things are transformed. The context for God’s making everything new is the “new heaven” and “new earth” we read about in Rev. 21:1. The “first heaven” and “first earth” have “passed away” and the new is coming, by God’s power and grace. Rev. 21 gives us a glimpse of the future. But this glimpse can also inform how we live today. First, notice that God is making “all things new.” God is not obliterating all things and shooting our souls into Heaven for eternity. Rather, God is renewing all things on earth and in heaven, restoring them to what God had planned from the beginning. This is a powerful affirmation of the value of material things to God, who, after all, did once create them and regard them as “very good” (Gen. 1:31). This world and all that is in it matters to God and will one day be renewed by God. Thus, we should be sure to value this world as God values it. Second, the fact that God will one day make everything new underscores the fact that our world is in need of serious renewal. Things are broken, tarnished, dysfunctional, and badly in need of, not just repair, but complete renovation. So, while we value this world and all that is in it, we also recognize how messed up it is. Christians should not be surprised when bad things happen, even to good people. We should expect injustice, even as we seek to do justice in this world (Micah 6:8). We should anticipate mourning, even as we get to rejoice in the midst of our sorrows. Finally, God is the One who is making everything new. Only God can do this. You and I can’t. This ought to give us a fair measure of humility in our jobs, our families, our churches, and our politics. Yet, the fact that God and God alone has the power to make all things new does not mean we are irrelevant, mere bystanders to God’s renewing work. On the contrary, God has chosen to make His renewing power available to us through Christ. Though we can’t fix the world, we can, by God’s strength and Spirit, be channels of God’s renewal in our slice of the world. God wants to work through you and me to bring greater wholeness to our workplaces, families, communities, schools, churches, and countries. In 2023, may we celebrate even more the One who will make all things new. May we rejoice in the fact that we get to experience a foretaste of this renewal in our lives today. And, in 2023, may we be available to God who wishes to use us as agents of renewal in this world. All praise be to You, O God, because You are making all things new! Amen. Comments are closed.
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