Daily Devotional • November 20
A Reading from Revelation 21:22-22:5
22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; 4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Meditation
The description of this New Jerusalem keeps expanding: There was no temple in the New Jerusalem, because the temple of this city is the Lord God Almighty and Lamb! There is no need of sun or moon because the glory of God is more than light enough, and the Lamb is the light of the city of God. (Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus). All Nations will walk by this light, the Light of the Almighty! The gates of this immense city will never be shut — all are welcome to enter. There will no night! Even though the gates are open, nothing unclean shall enter.
But wait, there’s more: There’s a crystal river flowing with the water of life, flowing from God’s throne through the middle of the city’s street. Along each side the crystal-clear river is the Tree of Life, producing 12 fruits, one for each month. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations, and God will be their light.
Ultimately God’s sovereignty is too big, too grand, too much for a temple. God, who traveled with Israel as fire and cloud, whose glory filled the early temples, whose glory became incarnate in Christ Jesus, is ultimately more than we can imagine, filling heaven and earth. God’s presence is with God’s people in inescapable, unimaginable glory and splendor and light!
It’s certainly stretch of the imagination to visualize this splendor, but let’s give it a try as we approach Advent this year. Maybe express this vision in art or music, in poetry or prose. O come, O come Emmanuel! Come in splendor and glory and light! Hallelujah!
The Very Rev. Sherry Black is a second-career Episcopal priest, and has been a full-time hospital chaplain for over ten years. She also serves a small mission church as priest-in-charge, and is dean of her deanery.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island
The Diocese of Renk – Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan
This ministry of The Living Church Foundation is made possible in part by a special bequest from the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer.
