Station 4

Scripture:

Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He 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.
Revelation 21:3-4

Reflection:

The story of the Bible finishes with a vision for a new world in which God comes and dwells with God’s people and all of the pain and struggle of the world is washed away. There are no more tears, no protests, no injustices, because all has been made right. It’s a picture of a community united by God in unity. It’s God’s promised future of hope.

People from our past have shared this vision and even risked their life in pursuit of it. Yet, there is so much work still to be done. Tears fall in pain for unarmed black men being killed by police. We still live in a world in which black Americans are lynched. As people of God, we’re called to see God’s vision for the world and help it come to be. What would it look like to you if our world today was closer to the vision from Revelation?

Photo: Emmett Till's mother, "Mamie” Till Mobley collapses when her son Emmett’s body arrives at the old Illinois Central Railroad station. Credit: Chicago Sun-Times Library