Revelation 21:1-6

Easter 5 - Year C

Revelation 21:1-6

When does a vision of “a new earth and new heaven” happen along? When things are at their worst - worse than what we do to the earth and its response, worse than what we do to one another, worse than a theology of rapturous end-times. When we have exhausted ourselves using old technology on intractable issues, then we come round to consider jettisoning the unworkable and begin to envision a goal large enough for us to be open to new ways of working. Simple examples today are "immigration" bills in Arizona and drilling for oil in deep water - a new vision, please.

One way or another, each re-envisioning posits a closer relationship between G*D and Creation/Humanity. Here we have G*D’s home changed from a high and lifted up position to that of a co-dweller on earth, in paradise. At question is whether we will repeat all our previous history, just in a new horizontal relationship instead of the old vertical one.

There is still a way to go on this vision, too few have made the jump to co-creators over the face of the chaotic deep newly christened “water of life”. We are left with a new creative moment. Unfortunately it is one without the deep engagement of tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain. This avoidance will carry seeds of its own destruction.

Presumably we will find the worst in this new relationship and need to work on a new vision of G*D and Humanity being one, not two images. More about this in another reincarnation. For the moment it is enough to work on this reciprocity option.