Pastor Slaughter
All Saints Day
11-6-22
All Saints Day
Text: Revelation 21:1-6
Theme: Look Forward to Something Better!
What is something that you are really looking forward to? Is it a special day like your birthday or thanksgiving or Christmas (there are some on the faculty and staff that are insistent on playing Christmas music already). We might look forward to the day we pay off our debt, retire, or that injury to heal.
However, there are some things that we probably don’t look forward to doing. We probably don’t look forward to having to have a difficult conversation with someone. We probably don’t look forward to having an operation done. We might not look forward to kids getting older and going to college (although some might). Why don’t we generally look forward to something that is difficult or something that involves a change? Isn’t usually because there is a fear of the unknown? I don’t how that conversation will go, so I am dreading it. I don’t know the outcome of that surgery, so I am afraid. I don’t know what change will bring in the life of my child or my life, so I am concerned. There are times we don’t look forward to something that is unknown because there might be a sense of anxiety, worry, fear associated with it.
What would take away that anxiety, and worry, and fear? Hope. Not just a wish a desire for a good outcome but hope in the sense of sure and certain thing. If you know the outcome especially if you know it will turn out well, it takes away the fear and we can look forward to it.
Today is a special service where we remember those members at Trinity, those Saints Triumphant that died this past year. And those friends and family members, where confront with death. Is there something that we can look forward in death? Or is it something that gives us a sense of anxiety, worry, and fear? There wouldn’t be a sense of anxiety, worry or fear, if we knew the outcome, right? That is what the God gave to the apostle John in our lesson for today. He gave him a glimpse of outcome of the perfect conditions of paradise that will once again be present in the new heavens and the new earth. He gives us a glimpse of heaven so that we have something to look forward to.
The apostle John was probably in his 90s when he received this vision from God. I am sure he experienced grief of friends and family dying in his old age. He was exiled on the island of Patmos being separated from those that he loved. At times I wonder if in the middle of suffering he wondered and thought this can’t be the way things are supposed to be. Something has to be different. When we are confronted with death, or we are in the middle of suffering, isn’t there a part of us that thinks that something has to do be different. This can’t be the way it is supposed to be.
In these 6 verses God describes something that would be radically different from this world. He describes a new heaven and a new earth. John saw, “the Holy City, The New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…” This holy city, this new Jerusalem is a picture of the holy Christian church. So, you have a new heavens and a new earth and God is bringing his Holy Christian church down to live there. As he sees this holy city, the new Jerusalem, the holy Christian church he describes it as being “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
What a beautiful picture that God gives us of his church! As a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. This is one of those pictures that I always read about but never fully appreciated till I saw my bride walk down the aisle. Everything was perfect. We hear passages in scripture that talk about how the church is the bride of Christ and maybe we are reminded of our (or someone else’s) wedding day. But when we look at the holy church right here and now, doesn’t it seem like there are stains all over the dress? Hair and make up a mess?
When we think about those members of Trinity who died this past year, we know that they weren’t perfect. When we look at our own lives, we see the sin so apparent, and we know that we are not perfect. Because of that sin in our lives, there is a part of us that is worried about the future, that is to say worried, anxious, or afraid about dying. Because we know that we will face judgment, what the devil and our sinful nature would like is to get us to forget what Christ has done for us, the church his bride. When we forget what Christ has done for us, our sinful nature wants two clings to this life. Would heaven be better? I want to cling to the relationships here. I want to cling to the things I enjoy, the hobbies I have. When we cling to those earthly temporary things, we forget that there is something better to look forward too.
Sin makes us want to cling to the here and now. Sin makes us afraid, anxious and worried about dying because it forgets that we have something to look forward too. Sin separates us from a holy and a just God. But God describes his church, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem “prepared as a bride adorned for husband.” He has taken his holy City, he has taken his church, he has taken those that have died in him, he has taken you and washed us and cleansed us with his blood. He has already given to us the forgiveness of sins. He has presented her with the robe of his righteousness. That right relationship with God. Where our sins once separated us from God we now can be in his presence. Heaven is the consummation of the marriage. Where The church will be presented to her Lord as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. We have something to look forward to!
In order to look forward to something, sometimes we want to know the outcome, right? I think there is a part of that wants to cling to things of this word out of fear, but I also think there is a part of us that longs for something different, for something better.
We have all needed the reassurance at least once in our lives. Weather its cancer, funeral, sickness, frailty, unfaithfulness, loss of job, financial instability, being exiled on an island for your faith whatever it is we need the assurance that something is going to be different. We have this desire for change in life. If only this was better on earth, then I would be better. That is precisely what Jesus gives to us today through the revelation he gave to John.
“Look! God’s dwelling is with people. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people.” There is no more sin that can separate us from God. He will make his dwelling among his people. We will experience Gods presses. Face to face with God, with his tent pitched next to ours, We will enjoy his company in perfection! That is something those saints who died in Christ are experiencing right now and that is something we can look forward to in the future.
God will not dwell among us but “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” The things that cause us sorrow will be gone. “There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain, because the former things have passed away.” The saints stand before God washed in the blood of the Lamb and white with his holiness. Because there is no more sin in heaven, all the grief that sin produced on earth will absent. No more tears, my more heart breaks, no more pain. We have something to look forward to!
This almost seems to good to be true! How do we know this will take place? Because Jesus, seated on the throne speaks, “Write, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me: It is done.” It is done. Even though John hears what will happen in the preceding verses. Jesus says. It is done! Because Jesus said it, the things John saw in his vision will take place, it is as good as done. How do we know these words are truth worthy and true? Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” Jesus is point to the fact that he does not change. He is faithful to his promises. Because Jesus does not change what he promises is as good as done.
We have something to look forward to. Today we remember Ronald Harms, Laura McConnell, Charles Fuhrman, Roger Otter, Lillian Peltz, Ruth Rawlings, Bonnie Wolpern. While we look forward to the day that Jesus takes us home to heaven, those saints are enjoying that blessing right now and everyone who died in Christ. We still feel the pain of being separated from those we love. That pain stems from the effects of sin. But in the middle of our pain, we have something to look forward too. We know the outcome. Heaven. Amen.