November 6, 2023
“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” ~ Revelation 7:15b-17, The Message
Nothing beats a great sporting event when the outcome of the contest comes down to the final seconds of the game. And with the advent of digital video recording, we can watch a game or favorite TV show at our convenience, fast-forwarding through the commercials. It was particularly great when we lived in Hawaii and could record games rather than getting up at 7 am to watch the Steeler’s kickoff (at 1 pm, Eastern Time).
However, doing so requires holding family and friends to a promise not to talk about the game until we’ve seen it. It often happened that a parishioner would check scores during worship (a flagrant foul if ever there was one) and in the greeting line say, “its looking good for the Steelers.” While I cared about the outcome of the game, I also cared about being present to watch the entire game. There is something compelling about seeing the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” unfolding right in front of you. Yesterday’s Eagles vs. Cowboys NFL game comes to mind. It’s game, after all, kind of like watching a mystery unfold, not the end of the world as we know it (at least I hope not!)
But there are arenas of life where the outcome really does matter. As I was reminded in preparing to preach on Revelations 7 for All Saints Sunday, how the story of life, the arc of creation over time, matters greatly to me. Spoiler alert: the Bible doesn’t promise a bed of roses, but hope that in the end, our God of love wins. God is, and will be present with us, wiping the tears from our eyes, no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. And that is the best news ever! ~ Anne
Wayfinding 