Links for today’s readings:
Read: Nehemiah 12 Listen: (6:30), Read: Revelation 21 Listen: (4:34)
Scripture Focus: Revelation 21.1, 22-27
1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Nehemiah 12.43
43 And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.
Reflection: Now Jerusalem and Not-Yet Jerusalem
By John Tillman
Nehemiah describes his Jerusalem rising from the rubble and John describes New Jerusalem descending from Heaven.
At first, Nehemiah’s task seems only to provide a wall for practical protection and safety of the citizens. God’s people were exiled in pagan empires but were given a safe and secure homeland again.
But Nehemiah saw a grander mission, more expansive than his mandate to build a physical wall. For this reason he also rebuilt the infrastructure, staff, and resources for the city’s spiritual health and welfare. The priests, musicians, choirs, and leaders were all part of his restoration plan. The worship of God and the purity and glory of his covenant with his people were at the center of Nehemiah’s true mission. And the joy of their worship poured out through the walls of the city, echoing far away.
The New Jerusalem descends after the destruction of judgment. God’s faithful people were suffering in kingdoms controlled by Satan but are now safe and secure. God makes his home with them. The city is the centerpiece of God’s remaking of the broken world. All kingdoms and people are brought under Christ’s benevolent grace.
The differences in Nehemiah’s and John’s Jerusalems are more striking than the similarities. The New Jerusalem has foundations and walls and nothing unclean will enter, however its gates never close. The city, instead of protecting itself from attack, projects blessings, pouring out living water, light, and glory. All will walk by the light the city provides, be healed by the leaves of the tree of life at its center, and worship God who dwells within it.
The worship of God and the purity and glory of his new covenant with his people is at the center of the New Jerusalem. When we are there the joy of our worship will pour out through the walls of the city, echoing far away.
Nehemiah lived in Now-Jerusalem and pointed to Not-Yet-Jerusalem. So do we. We point to the not-yet by tackling Nehemiah-inspired tasks that hint at the New Jerusalem. As embassies and ambassadors of New Jerusalem, let us bind up the broken, rebuild the destroyed, restore the degraded, and rededicate the defiled. Let those far off learn the songs of the coming city through our actions “far as the curse is found.”
Music: “Joy to the World” lyrics by Issac Watts, video by Reawaken Hymns.
Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. — Psalm 85.9
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.
Read more about The Lord Is There
Wherever you go, as a Christian, you take with you the spirit of the city of God. Practice remembering that “the Lord is there.”
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