A DEVOTIONAL FOR ALL SAINTS FROM RICHARD KEW
Revelation 21:1-7
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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And 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 from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Thought for the Day
As I read a passage like this I wonder at the audacity of it. "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth..." that is a breathtaking statement leaving us wondering how the old will be subsumed by something utterly new and holy. Yet this is the end toward which the whole of Scripture points. We can only marvel at the grace and majesty of the living God and realize that this side of our own transition to eternity the hows and whys of this happening cannot be answered. But there is a promise within this passage to which we can cling, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, humanity." As he makes all things new the redeemed community of God's people will accompany him and the Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, who won our salvation. No wonder this is one of the key readings for All Saints' Day.
Thanksgiving for the Day
Without knowing precisely what it means for all things to be made new, it is through the Cross of Jesus that this will happen for us and we can bring gratitude humbly before him.
Intercession for the Day
Let us each pray that we may be ready for the day of our departing this life for the world that is to come.
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