Thursday 06 March 2008

Background

Telephone voting figures show how enthusiastically involvedpeople become when a favourite building is up for possiblerestoration - remember the recent TV series "Restoration" whereviewers were asked to vote for which one of 30 historic Britishbuildings should be restored?

Isaiah's vision long ago was of a wonderfully restored Jerusalemwith the Temple as a shining glory and the scattered Jews coming toit along with people of all cultures who recognised the glory ofthe god worshipped by the Jewish community.

The passage seems to draw on allusions and terms from Isaiah 49:1-22.This must have been 'heady' inspiration for those who had comethrough dark days of deportation into far-off exile and knew howthe holy city - the focus of their faith - had been left weak andin ruins. The prospect of renewed and lasting glory would have hadimmense attraction for those who had lived with nostalgic memoriesof yesteryear and a sense of deprivation.

These prophetic verses are taken up and used in the New Testamentin Revelation21:23-26 where the ultimate 'holy city' to which we areall drawn has no darkness because a perpetual light is generated bythe presence and power of God - "The Lord will be your everlastinglight". There will be no Temple in the city because God's presenceand light is evident everywhere.

Part of the joyful effect of living in the brightness of God isthat our "days of mourning will be ended". In the Old Testamentcontext this would mainly mean living without being eaten up byregrets and the tragedies of the past because God has restored theheritage and the old ways.

In the New Testament context of Revelation it is more to do withthe dawning realisation that lives lived in love and faith are not'lost' at death but found in eternal life through the keeping ofGod, enabling us to be present to each other.

To Ponder

What achievements are you proud of? How can yousee God's hand in them?