Lectio Divina: Everything Made New (Rev 21:1-6)

A Lectio for the New Year. Based on a reading from Revelation 21:1-6), this Lectio will guide you into meditation on the new beginning afforded to us in a fresh year. From there, fall into contemplating the direction God is taking you as you refresh, refocus, and renew your heart, mind, body, and soul moving into 2022. With gratitude from me to yu for your support and encouragement in 2021; and prayers for you and all yours for the New Year. Peace be with you, friends.

Transcript

Well hello my friends,

This is Mark Gladman also known as Brother Frederick James with this Lectio Divina especially created for the New Year.

Every New Year brings before us the opportunity to reflect and refresh and renew who we are,

What we're doing,

Where we're going,

How we'll live.

And so to bring us into that frame of mind of understanding that despite the fact that most of us hold on till New Year's Day,

That in God things can be new every single day.

The reading that I've chosen to reflect on for our New Year's Lectio is from the Book of Revelation chapter 21 verses 1 to 6.

Now I share this passage with some caution because I know Revelation can be a troublesome book for most readers.

How are we to understand it?

Is it literal?

Is it figurative?

Is it metaphor?

Is it,

Even as some scholars believe,

Satire about what was happening in the Roman Empire?

Whatever your take on Revelation and however you sit with it,

What we can know is that like all texts both in the scripture and from other traditions and places,

If we listen carefully to the voice of those that wrote these words,

We can glean great wisdom.

Wisdom about who we are,

Wisdom about our world and how we see it,

And most of all wisdom about how we might understand this God who has created us and has given this mission of living in the world to us.

And so as I read this passage which talks about,

You know,

It's the very end of Revelation and talks about this coming of the new heaven and the new earth,

And as you sit on the precipice of a new year,

I pray that the wisdom of who God is and how God has made you and how you can live your life forward knowing that God is in you and with you and that in relationship with God there is so much that's available to you.

May those reflections bring you wisdom for how to live the coming year in a way that will make a difference in drawing you closer to God and your relationship with God,

Transforming you more and more into the image and abundance that God has created you for,

And through that transformation show you ways that you can continue to love your neighbour as yourself.

With no further ado I'll simply pray and then as normal we'll let the reading play for you about four times with a pause between for deep reflection and then finish with prayer,

A prayer that will come from my heart for you as you look to move into 2022.

And so God we give you this time as we sit and still ourselves we pray that these words from the very end of the Christian text will speak to us,

Help us to hear their wisdom,

Help us to have understanding on how they might apply to our lives where we are and may through them you continue to change and transform us to become more and more of who and what we have been created to be as beings made in your image and filled with your spirit of love.

Be with us in this time we pray.

Amen.

Let's begin.

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.

I saw the holy city,

The new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying look God's dwelling place is now among the people and God will dwell with them and they will be God's people and God's self will be with them and be their God.

God will wipe every tear from their eyes there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.

The one who was seated on the throne said I am making everything new then they said write this down for these words are trustworthy and true.

They said to me it is done I am the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end to the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

I am the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end to the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

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 I saw the holy city the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying look God's dwelling place is now among the people and God will dwell with them and they will be God's people and God's self will be with them and be their God.

God will wipe every tear from their eyes there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.

The one who was seated on the throne said I am making everything new then they said write this down for these words are trustworthy and true they said to me it is done I am the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end to the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

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 I saw the holy city the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying look God's dwelling place is now among the people and God will dwell with them and they will be God's people and God's self will be with them and be their God.

God will wipe every tear from their eyes there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.

The one who was seated on the throne said I am making everything new then they said write this down for these words are trustworthy and true they said to me it is done I am the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end to the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

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 I saw the holy city the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying look God's dwelling place is now among the people and God will dwell with them and they will be God's people and God's self will be with them and be their God.

God will wipe every tear from their eyes there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.

The one who was seated on the throne said I am making everything new then they said write this down for these words are trustworthy and true they said to me it is done I am the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end to the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Gracious God as we rise from this time reflecting on the words of scripture and prepare our hearts our minds and our lives to move into 2022 we pray that you would guide us and lead us that our ears and our eyes and our hearts would be attuned to the leading of your spirit of love help us to move into our day into our world and into our new year with a heart of expectation and hope.

Thank you for being with us and now continue to be with us and help us to be mindful of your presence with us as we live into each day knowing that your spirit is leading us every step of every day.

Amen grace peace and love be with you my friend as you enter the new year and I look forward to sharing with you and to serving you more here in Insight Timer as the year progresses.

Thank you so much for your prayers words of encouragement and for those who've contributed financially thank you so much for how you've sowed into this work and I'm looking forward to sharing with you all even more as the year progresses.

Grace peace and love my friend we'll see you next time bye for now.

You

Reviews

Thank you for this timeless reflection, Mark. Perfect timing as it is New Year's Eve, 2025. Blessings. 🙏🌟🌅💝

Thanks for the introduction I was reluctant to do this one because it was revealations
I got some encouragement from it

I’m so blessed by your meditations and talks. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, wisdom and insights into Christian meditation and contemplation, it’s helping me go deeper in my personal daily practice. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 🙏🏽❤️🙏🏽

Magnificent contribution my God continue to bless you and The work you do🙏🏽

Bless you! 🙏🏾🙏👼🏻✝️🛐🕊

Hope in Christ Jesus that all is made new by His grace…our world needs this message. Thank you 🙏🏻

Starting over again today. Thank you 🙏

Brother Frederick James has such a calm way of introducing and incorporating the scriptures into a meditative practice. Bless you Brother for your work and keep it coming! I visit yours time and again.🙏

This was so beautiful, thank you Mark. I have always struggled with Revelations and your introduction was so wonderfully sensitive to all the preconceptions we as listeners might be bringing to the text. It really helped me to let go and receive from the passage. Thank you. Blessings to you and yours for the new year 🙏

Best one yet ❤️💫