Getting Lost in the Busyness of Life

Devotional for Maundy Thursday

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,
the 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:
“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;
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...”
Revelations 21:1-4 (NRSV)

Oftentimes our earthly eyes get clouded with visions of the present time. We work for our own comfort, for productivity and worldly abundance. We value goods and seek quantity over quality. Our temporal short-sightedness sets our paths toward what is quick and pleasurable. Our end goals of eternity get lost in the busyness of life. Revelation 21:1-4 gives us a vision of our true spiritual desire. 

We are gifted with this image of the new heaven and new earth. A new home without pain. A place to live in communion with our Creator where God himself dwells among us! This picture of a new heaven and earth can help guide our time now on this earth. When earthly things pass away as in Revelation 21:1 and the new heaven and earth are formed, how will our interactions with one another and with God change? Without the need to strive for comfort, productivity, and material abundance, how will our relationship and interactions with earth change? 

Let us use this vision of new heaven and new earth to guide our earthly interactions now. We can see a reflection of our home to come when we partake in communion together. Gratefully giving thanks for the gift of salvation, we remember Christ’s death and resurrection. We look to the promise of a new heaven and earth when we are able to partake in communion with Christ again in this new home where God dwells with us. In our new home, we will treat earth less selfishly, not looking for what we can get out of the earth for our own comfort or productivity, but for what we can pour back into it and into this new creation that God has given us. 

Prayer

Sustainer of the Universe,

Empty us of our own desires so that we may we receive your vision as fresh and fertile soil prepared to sprout seeds of new beginning. May your heavenly will be done on earth and by your graciousness, may we create places of renewal while we await the return of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen

Samantha Corwin is a Master of Divinity student at Fuller Theological Seminary. She has started the process of becoming an inquirer with the encouragement and support of United Presbyterian Church. Samantha is thankful for the love and support of her husband, Ryan and daughters, Bravely and Adventure. As a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation Samantha feels a great call to earth care and conservation.