CALL TO WORSHIP
- OPENING CHORUSES
- OPENING PRAYER
WELCOME … and THANKS for joining us.
- We trust, as always, that your time with us will be well spent.
- Today is New Year’s Day … but it’s also the 8th day of Christmas … and, though our focus is not on the birth of the Christ, it is still on CHRIST, OUR SAVIOUR AND LORD.
- The theme for this week is God is our glorious and benevolent king.
OPENING SONGS
1. HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING …
FIRST READING (Our Call to Worship) … a part of a Psalm that praises God’s righteousness, evident in the created world and our participation in it.
2. THANK YOU, LORD … Don Moen …
3. CREATOR KING … Don Moen …
4. THRONE OF PRAISE … Don Moen …
SECOND READING
Matthew 25:31-36,37-40,41-46 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”
SERMONETTE … SPEAKING OF LIFE video
- Title: The Least of These
- Presenter: Greg Williams, GCI President
SPECIAL MUSIC
- MI CORAZON … Don Moen …
SERMON
All Things Made New
Revelations 21:1-6 NRSVUE
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. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.
What is the passage saying?
What does it mean?
What should we take away?
Revelations 21:1-6a NRSVUE
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. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
5 And the one who was seated on the throne said,
“See, I am making all things new.”
Also he said,
“Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 Then he said to me,
“It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.”
When it comes to our fate as believers, though, knowing the end of our story is of utmost importance. As characters in this grand saga, we begin our journey of faith knowing the end of the book. Some things in life are too important to just be left in tension.
Near the end of the book of Revelation, John is describing for us a vision of what is to come in the next age – a scene revealed by Jesus Christ that holds amazing beauty and hope. John does three things regarding this vision. He is first seeing, then he is hearing and finally, he is writing. We are going to look at how these three actions involve us today regarding this vision.
At the outset, it must be said that the Book of Revelation is what is considered apocalyptic literature.
John is revealing what a future where God has restored everything from destruction and evil will look like.
a vision of a restored creation.
The former things (evil, death, mourning, etc.) were outside of God’s design for mankind.
John is showing that after death and hades have come to an end, all will be made new.
the sea is mentioned as being no more.
This passage is not talking about the literal sea. This was symbolic for the seat of evil. The place where the Beast and evil comes from. With the seat of evil being removed, sin and destruction goes with it.
Some feel that the stewardship of our planet isn’t necessary since God will recreate a new world after we have “blown this one to bits.” John is not describing a world “blown to bits;” he is describing a creation that is no longer under decay. Remember, Paul told the believers in Rome that “the creation itself will be set free from its enslavement to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21 NRSVUE).
Someone may well bring up the fact that Paul mentioned that our citizenship is in heaven. But he was not referring to a location. Roman citizens were citizens wherever they went. In fact, retired Roman soldiers were encouraged to live well outside of Rome. But they were to bring their Roman citizenship with them wherever they happened to be.
John is seeing that heaven and earth are not in competition with each other, but are made for each other. He is showing us that all things in heaven and earth are summed up in Christ.
All of creation is caught up in Jesus’ resurrection. He is not saying everything is being replaced. Rather, it is being made new. God has not and will not abandon what he has created.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4 NRSVUE)
Notice the difference in inspiration here? John is now hearing something. And what John hears is just how intimate God is with his creation.
Just as Jesus came to earth and lived among us, so too all of heaven now comes down to us. Christ ascended to the Father, but in the fullness of time he will finally make his dwelling with us once again, but this time it will be forever.
There will only exist the rulership of Christ at that time. He will reign over us with love and mercy. We will know his ways and live in harmony one towards another. All of heaven will come with him. All will be made right.
We will make our abode with Christ, not back in Eden, but in a city whose maker is God. A place that is teeming with life and relationship. We become a holy thriving community with Christ as our loving, just king.
Verse 4 indicates that every tear we have shed will be healed by God. All that has ever caused us pain will be redeemed. Imagine never having to grieve again — to never feel pain again, to never be hurt or to suffer. It is beyond our human comprehension, but this is what John is hearing from the voice of God.
John is hearing about a world where there is no more war or economic systems of oppression. Where tyrants and evil rulers will no longer have their way. God’s economy is the only system that can be sustained for eternity. John wants us to hear that there is a world coming that will finally be made right.
And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also, he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 21:5-6a NRSVUE)
Up until now John has been passive. He has been seeing. He has been hearing, but now he is asked to do something. He is asked to take action. He is asked to testify, to write down all that has been shown to him, all that he has heard from God.
This new creation of God is happening now in a world that has little understanding of its reality. We are called to act upon what we see and what we hear. We are called to carry forth the working of the new creation.
All that we do through Christ, and by his Spirit, is in concert with the new creation. Every work of reconciliation, of healing others, of sharing God’s love, is participating with heaven coming to earth. Of removing the old and ushering in the new.
In the midst of our mourning, of seeing all the pain and death, what gives you hope? Though we are still going through all these things, we have a God who says that he is wiping away all our tears. That it is a done deal! Even now, his healing, redeeming power is breaking through.
Are you able to see the old things of your past being shed from you? In its place, are you seeing the newness that God is bringing into your life? Have you been listening to the voice of God that tells you about his intimate love for you? That he makes his dwelling with you?
We can take courage knowing that what we are currently going through is not the end of our story. Far from it. We may not be exempt from the suffering in this life, but we can walk through it knowing that Jesus dwells with us and knowing that the world is being made new and right despite what we might currently see and hear.
Know this, that the former things that have damaged us are being healed. We have his great promise that he will dwell with us and that we will be his people. He will be faithful to do all that he has said. Even now, he is preparing his church as a bride that he might receive us with joy. From beginning to end, all of this is being accomplished through Christ. Behold, he is making all things new!
SONG OF RESPONSE
- WONDERFUL, MAGNIFICENT GOD … Don Moen …
CLOSING SONG (and OFFERTORY SONG)
- WHEN IT’S ALL BEEN SAID AND DONE … Don Moen …
CLOSING PRAYER (and Prayer for the Offering)
BENEDICTION