All Things New

Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more,for the first things have passed away...See, I am making all things new." Revelation 21. 1 - 6

As two beloved friends make their final journeys home this morning, this beautiful passage from the Book of Revelation with the promise of a new heaven and a new earth comforts me greatly. Though their bodies are ravaged with disease and age, I pray that as they pass from this life to the next they will see the Light of the new heaven and new earth...where death will be no more, where the first things have passed away and all things are made new.

Both of my friends leave behind a great legacy of family, good deeds and beloved friends. I pray that these words bring comfort to all those whose lives will be deeply troubled by their loss. And I pray for each of us that in the passage of time, when seasons change and upheaval happens, we too will remember this revelation of John of Patmos. God is not one item in this new Jerusalem, but instead God will dwell with us, be with us as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. All things will be made new...and the burning heart behind the mystery will envelop us all.