Rest is good. We’re taking a break from producing content over the summer. Enjoy this previously produced pattern and meditation.
With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9) O Lord, you are the God who makes peace from turmoil. As your child, send me to be a peacemaker. Amen.
Word: Revelation 21:1-4
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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Meditation
I love watching the news. Maybe it’s because my father was religious about watching the evening news, but there is something about it that makes my day feel complete. While the news may inform me of recent events and developments, it does not tell me anything new, really. It only reinforces what I already know, that the world I live in is in poor shape.A pandemic rages on. There is social inequity and inequality. The economy is fickle. The environment is groaning under the weight of decay. We live in a world, a country, a region in strife: loss, conflict, sickness, sadness—these are the constants in this, our human situation.
This isn’t to say there isn’t real joy to be found, only that it is often not nearly as vocal as life’s difficulties. Against such a backdrop, this passage is a blast of fresh air. It tells us that this world and its tears will pass, that “a brighter day” is coming. In pointing us to a future where there will be no tears, our tears in this broken world are made both legitimate and peaceably illegitimate. We can finally confront our pain, knowing that this world is not our answer, and that no matter how deep, senseless and unbearable the suffering we see and experience is, we are not terminally bound to it.
So, wherever you are, here it comes to you today, the vision of “a new heaven and a new earth.” May it allow you to confront today honestly—may it also affirm you and comfort you. May it stir in you a hope and confidence that God is with you here, and that God is indeed trustworthy to make all things new.
Prayer for the Church
· For my local congregation, my brothers and sisters in Christ.
· For Christians across my community and city.
· For my denomination or church body.
· For repentance where God’s people have failed or erred.
· For the mission of God given to his people, that all nations know Him.
· For the church where she is persecuted for Christ’s name.
· For church plants and mission frontiers.
· For workers in the harvest: pastors, teachers, evangelists, servants.
· For the everyday, ordinary Christian to serve and witness as the priesthood of all believers.
· For the small, overlooked, and undervalued parts of the body of Christ.
Closing Prayer
Father, may I have the courage to expect good for my life and world, and resilience if and when those expectations are disappointed. In Jesus’ name, Amen!