God’s dwelling among mankind
 

‘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. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with mankind! He will dwell among them, and they will be his people; and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes: there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. For the former things have passed away.’”
 

We stand at the beginning of a new year, and yet, after just a few days, the familiar evil in the world seems to take no notice of this and to continue unchecked. Faced with so much disturbing news, many of us would prefer to switch off the news or quickly close the newspaper. Life experience teaches us, however, that this is usually not a good option. Denying dangers makes it impossible to combat them. That is why it is right and sensible for us as human beings to make good resolutions for the new year, at least to pause and reflect on ourselves and our lives, and ideally to draw strength for healing changes.

The passage from the Book of Revelation presents us with a vision of a healed world, the new world of God: not to console us, but as a guiding alternative. Having a goal or a role model in mind is motivating. In verse 3, we encounter Jesus Christ as the dwelling place of God amongst humanity. If we look to him and his life, we too will be able to wipe away tears and stand by those who suffer. In Jesus Christ we have a guiding principle that can help us find a good path through the uncertainty of the new year. In difficult situations, it can be helpful to ask ourselves: ‘What would Jesus do (in my place)?’ I am sure you will gain more than just a different perspective on your life and your surroundings; you will help build God’s new world, as the vision depicts it.

As an encouragement and with best wishes for the year 2025, I leave you with the following statement of faith by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

“I believe that God can and will bring good out of everything,
even out of the worst.
For this, he needs people who allow all things
to serve the good.
I believe that God wants to give us as much resilience
as we need in
every crisis.
But he does not give it in advance,
so that we do not rely on ourselves,
but on him alone.
In such faith
, all fear of the future
must be overcome.”

Barbara Heitfeld