A New Life Burgeons

Posted by Chris Breslin on October 29, 2018 in

10/28/2018

Isaiah 60:15-22 & Revelation 21:1-5

Chris Breslin

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” -T.S. Eliot (from Little Gidding in the Four Quartets)

“The sin-ruined creation of Genesis is restored in the sacrifice-renewed creation of Revelation.” –Eugene Peterson

“…cities are noisy with self-assertion, forgetful and defiant of God, battering and abusive to persons…Heaven surely, should get us as far away from that as possible. Haven’t we had enough of cities on earth? Don’t we deserve what we long for? Many people want to go to heaven the way they want to go to Florida –they want think the weather will be an improvement and the people decent. But the biblical heaven is not a nice environment far removed from the stress of hard city life. It is the invasion of the city by the City. We enter heaven not by escaping what we don’t like, but by the sanctification of the place in which God has placed us.” -Eugene Peterson

“There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.” -St. Oscar Romero (*correction: Fr. Romero was killed while celebrating the Eucharist by being shot, not stabbed. I was conflating Br. Roger’s similarly tragic death at Taizé.)

“If you have a sapling in your hand and they tell you that the Messiah has arrived, first plant the sapling and then go out to greet him.” -Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai

Slides from October 28, 2018.

Scripture:

Romans 8:22-24

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Ruth 1:16-17

1 Corinthians 15:12-19

2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (The Message)

Songs for Today’s Worship Gathering:

From Everlasting to Everlasting by Eader

All Creatures of Our God and King by Francis of Assisi

Father, Let Your Kingdom Come by Porter’s Gate Worship Project

Jesus, What A Beautiful Name by Riches