A New Heaven and a New Earth

Revelation 21:1-3

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.

Whenever I hear the phrase “a new heaven and a new earth,” a hymn by Carolyn McDade starts playing in my head. Unfortunately I wasn't able find a recording for you to link with. However, you can find it in Voices United hymnbook #713. And when I see you on Sunday, I'll sing it for you.

"A new heaven and a new earth" is a phrase that catches our imaginations because it comes from that most enigmatic of biblical books: Revelations

In thinking about a new heaven, I wonder what we can use as a substitute now we know there is no heaven just on the other side of the clouds.

A new heaven and earth symbolizes the end of what we know now as we anticipate a completely new creation emerging. We call this kind of writing "apocalyptic," meaning an uncovering or revelation of what was hidden. Although 'apocalyptic' originally meant the final rise of good over evil, more recent understanding is simply 'end times' or the end of the world as shown by artist John Lautermilch.

Myths of the end of the world have been around for a long time. 
The story of Noah's ark is an apocalyptic tale. And end times are predicted in a number of spiritualities and cultures. I came across the following from a Pawnee myth:

The command for the final destruction of the world is in the hands of the four gods of the directions. The West will issue the command that the world be destroyed and the East will obey. Then the stars in heaven will fall to the new earth and become people. The people left in this world at the time of destruction will fly high into the sky and become stars themselves.

In advent, we hear ancient scriptures talking about the end of what we have known and the rise of something new. The idea is that with the birth of Jesus (the something new) we can expect a new heaven and a new earth.

Rather the end of the world, I dream of a renewal of the earth we have. I dream of our hearts filled with love of this little blue planet. I dream of our minds turning over new ways to care for our planet. I dream of our hands creating ever-more ingenious ways to bring heaven on earth right here and right now.

Our Advent Exploration question for today is: What are your dreams for a new heaven and a new earth?