Friday 30 May 2008

Background

John, the writer of Revelation, is addressing a group ofpersecuted Christians in the late 1st century AD, whose future isdesperately uncertain. The back-story to this text is death,separation and suffering. The passage speaks to those who arestruggling to make sense of a world which is falling apart beforetheir eyes. There is a real feeling of being powerless in the faceof hostile forces - the Roman authorities.

The danger of being overwhelmed looms large. Jerusalem had beendevastated by the Roman army during the Jewish war of AD 66-70 andthe Temple destroyed. Jewish converts are working out theiridentity as followers of Christ against this background ofseparation and loss. The vision of a new Jerusalem is thereforeespecially poignant, as is the hope for a time when grief, loss andcrying will end. Against the backdrop of Roman imperial oppressionand the ever-present power of the Empire, talk of a new heaven anda new earth is as politically charged as it is poeticallypotent.

Having lost their spiritual home in Jerusalem, Jewish converts tothe early 'Jesus movement' recover an earlier faith memory. Theynow draw hope from God as journeying with them through theirwilderness of fear and grief (just as they journeyed for 40 yearsin the wilderness with Moses). God is truly in touch andcompassionate. God is at the heart of their struggles andsuffering, "wiping away every tear", just as Jesus had done.

The book of Revelation begins with a vision of Christ in glory andthis is pivotal for how it is to be taken to heart. In their ownGood Friday time of fear and anguish these Christians areencouraged to be Easter people, trusting in the ultimate power ofGod's love to "make all things new". They are not to give up orlose hope, but to believe passionately in God who is the beginningand end of all things.

What is offered here is nothing less than a vision of a newcreation being birthed by the creator and sustainer of theuniverse. More wonderfully still, these small, isolated and oftenbeleaguered churches (to whom John is writing) are to seethemselves as part and parcel of this global process. They areencouraged to make the vision a reality where they are.

To Ponder

What are the forces of oppression in our time?Who are the persecuted minorities today that yearn for a new heavenand a new earth. Why?

How would you describe your own experience ofGod's presence in times of loss and anguish?

Where do you sense that God is striving to make"all things new"? What are you going to do about it?