Eternal Light

“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.  I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.  Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them.  They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. 

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”  

Revelation 21:1-4, 23

The images described in these passages of Scripture are so unusual, and yet, specific.  I’m not sure if we can ever really wrap our minds around the magnitude of these verses and the way they invite us to consider what is to come.  When I read these words, my heart swells with great joy, and my mind fills with wonder and the hope of an advent yet to come.

At this moment, we find ourselves waiting - just like those we read about in Scripture. 

Our waiting is different because we have had the opportunity to encounter the Messiah they were anxiously awaiting.  And our waiting is the same because we long for the Messiah to return and make all things new.

There is so much unknown about the return of Jesus, and yet we long for that day - the day when God will dwell with humanity.  When death will cease.  When grief and pain will no longer exist.  When evil will be vanquished. 

Despite the mystery of what is to come, it is certain that the darkness will be eradicated and that the light will radiate without end.

Until that day, may we continue to be beacons of light who shine brightly in a weary world.  May the love of Jesus be evident in and through us - today and always.  

~  Melissa