A reflection by Fr.
Gene Tucker, written for Trinity
Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois onmSunday, April 28, 2013.
“A NEW CREATION”
(Text: Revelation 21:1–6)
(Introductory
note: This morning’s homily is an
“Instructed Eucharist”, which examines the shape of our Communion prayer, and
some of the theology behind it. This
written reflection is offered as a commentary on our reading from the Book of
Revelation, and is intended for home study.)
“Behold, I
make all things new,” the Lord says in Revelation 21:5.
This part
of the Book of Revelation has given hope to Christians since the very earliest
of days…..Of course, it is worth noting that other parts of Revelation are
troubling to read, for they speak of battles, woes, and tumultuous things
happening. Still other parts of the book
puzzle us, as we seek to try to understand what the symbolic language of
Revelation might be referring to. Yet,
in the end, Revelation is meant to be a source of comfort to God’s people.
That
message of comfort can be summarized thusly:
God is in charge, God will be the victor over evil, death and everything
that is opposed to God’s rule, and God will bring about a new creation.
We might be
tempted to say, “OK, that’s all well and good.
It will happen someday, a day that is a long way away from now.”
But despite
the attempts of the television preachers to make the Book of Revelation all
about the time when the world comes to an end, the truth is that the Book of
Revelation is all about the here-and-now, just as it is all about the
then-and-the-there. The Book of
Revelation’s message is timeless, in that sense, for its truths apply during
the time they were put into written form late in the first century, they are
true today, and they will be true for all time until time comes to an end by
God’s command.
Nor is the
importance of Revelation’s message for events and things that are outside of
us.
Revelation’s
message is meant to bring about that new creation in your heart and in mine,
today, here-and-now. It is meant to give
us a new heart and a new mind, as St. Paul writes so beautifully in II
Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has
come.”
This new
creation takes shape in the waters of baptism.
There, the newly baptized is claimed as Christ’s own forever, and the
Holy Spirit takes up residence in the baptized person’s heart and mind,
enabling them to begin to know the Lord.
But, as we
grow up and grow into the full measure of Christ, we begin to see things
differently. We begin to see them as God
sees them. We have a new perspective on
life. WE have a new way of seeing just
how important we are to God, for we are very valuable sons and daughters of His,
as valuable as that one lost sheep that the shepherd is willing to leave the
ninety nine others to go out and find (see Luke 15:3–7).
From our
baptism forward, the key to this process is our willingness to allow God to do
the work. For God is the only one who
has the power to bring about this new creation.
We are helpless to do so.
Even though
we are completely helpless in being able to create this new person within, we
are able to ask God to come and begin this work of creating this new heart and
new mind within us. That much we can
do. And when we do, God will answer that
prayer, and begin the work. He will
enable us to cooperate with His work, so that we become partners with God.
“Behold, I
make all things new.” Come, Lord Jesus
Christ, and take up that renewing work in our hearts and in our minds, that we
may grow into your full stature.
AMEN.
