“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more …. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Excerpts from Revelation 21:1-6)
The first time I truly paid attention to this text was about 32 years ago when we lost a little girl by the name of Indiana at childbirth. As I wrestled with the pain of that loss, I remember desperately reading through the Bible trying to find a word of comfort that we might use at her memorial service. Very little spoke to me—but the images and words of this text gave me a spiritual pause that invited me into a space of hope. John’s vision of a time when death, mourning, crying and pain would be no more—was like a balm on my broken heart. It is a vision that continues to speak to me today – one that stands in contrast with all the challenges we might experience in our earthly journey.
In this text – in this vision – we are reminded of two truths that offer comfort and strength for our journey as a people of faith. First, we are reminded that God chooses to dwell among mortals in a space free from death, mourning, crying, and pain. This is an extraordinary reaffirmation reflecting God’s incarnational commitment to you and me—a connection needed when faced with the realities of our time as we wrestle with living in that liminal space between the “then-now” and the “what is yet to come.” God has always chosen to be with us on this journey. At times that presence has been defined by sacred spaces—tabernacles and mountain tops. At other times, God has been present in ways that cannot be contained or defined by us. Ultimately, God chooses to become one of us in Jesus, living the complexities of our despair and our hope. A powerful word of hope, yesterday and today.
A second word of encouragement for me is the vision of a city without a sea – yet providing an abundance of water for its residents. As we know, water is necessary for all living things. Our human body is about 60% water and our blood is 90% water. The earth is made up of 71% water. Yet, according to statistics, 1 out of every 10 people do not have access to clean water, causing a heightened concern about the availability of water in regions of our nation and the world. But in this vision of this new city, there is no sea – but there is water. In this new heaven and earth, the source of that water will come from the “spring of the water of life” (Rev 21:6), quenching both physical and spiritual thirst.
The absence of the sea in a place of abundant water provides another powerful reminder of God’s hope for humanity and all creation. The sea has often represented the chaos separating us from God and one another. At creation God speaks and the sea is pushed back, bringing about a divine order between land and sea (Genesis 1:9-10). In the Gospel stories, Jesus speaks and tames the sea and storm (Mark 4:35-41). In Revelation the sea is portrayed as the abyss from which the dragon arises to torment the earth (4:6; 13:1). This new creation descending from heaven will be one without separations or isolation.
But the sea can represent much more than water. There are many seas separating and isolating us from God and from one another. The seasons of war, ongoing pandemic and cultural unrest have created winds and waves that have caused us to lose our spiritual equilibrium. The deep seas of race, economics, culture and language continue to torment us, tempting us to live in isolated islands or ghettos—spiritually and intellectually made up of like-minded people. John’s vision rejects that model, instead calling us to heal the chasm.
Like John, we are invited to reject that model of isolation and polarization. Like John, we are invited to lean into God’s vision for all humanity. We are encouraged to consider the current seas keeping us isolated from God and one another. We are encouraged to be the church—a people with a God-inspired vision of hope, committed to working together with each other and with God as reflectors of rainbows – colorful lights bending and bridging the deep waters of division, reminding us of God’s unbroken promise in Genesis 9 – “ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” A powerful word of hope indeed!