Sunday, December 26, 2021

All Things New

 

All Things New

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:1-5)

 With Christmas behind us, we turn our attention to the coming year and the prospect of better things for the future. The year 2020 started out strong, but then things quickly degenerated to lockdowns, isolation, and fear for an unseen villain – the COVID-19 virus. At first the lockdowns were for just two weeks, then four weeks, then three months, then six months. Businesses, schools and churches were shut down. As our nation experienced an unprecedented rise in violence, many of us hunkered down in fear of dangers seen and unseen.