Scripture: Revelation 21:22-26
I didn’t see a temple in the city, because its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. The city doesn’t need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there.They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
Consider:
I tried to explain to my children how a dial-up, rotary style phone worked and they were utterly flabbergasted. Later on that day, we were watching an old television show, and they had very real questions about why the characters were running to the kitchen during the commercial break. “Can’t they just pause it?” they wondered.
The imagery of the book of Revelation can feel similarly dense and unfamiliar, so we have to do a little digging into history in order to understand it. Ancient Cities only had one entrance with gates which could be shut at night for protection. In order to walk at night, they needed lamps to see - and their oil could be precious, so they only traveled by daylight or in a particularly bright moonlight. Nights were scary and impenetrable for most.
This perspective helps us to see hope at the center of this promised future. There will one day be a time and a world where cities will be able to leave their gates open because the light of God will be so bright, fear of the dark will not be necessary. One day, there won’t be a temple for one religious group, but God will be the temple which welcomes all. One day, all the kings of the earth will follow God’s light instead of their own whims and desires.
One day.
For know, it’s just a hope, a beacon in the distance for us to walk towards. The promise doesn’t come today.
One day.
Respond:
Turn all the lights off and find a dark spot in your house in which to sit. What do you notice about the dark? What do you notice about how you feel or how your body reacts to the loss of light? Now, turn on a flashlight or light a small candle. How did your feelings change when you had this small light on which to focus? Try this breath prayer: Inhale: In the shadows... Exhale: ...You are my light. Continue the prayer for as long as feels right for you.
Notice the changes and consider how you can incorporate the feeling of that small light into your every day.
Pray:
God, as I sit in this stillness, I feel how heavy the darkness can be. Thank You for the small, steady light that breaks through the shadows. When life feels overwhelming or dim, help me carry this flicker of peace within me. Let Your light guide my very next step. Amen.
