Revelation 21:1-6

Verse for the Year  – Revelation 21:1-6

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.

Dear congregation,

“Everything new!” – is that a comforting promise, or a challenging warning?

For the past three years, the annual motto has accompanied us, and each year it has contained the word “everything.”

“Let all that you do be done in love!” – 2024

“Test everything and hold on to the best!” – 2025

“See, I am making everything new!” – 2026

So with God, there are no “half measures.” It’s all or nothing. And there is clearly a connection here. At the start of this year, I want to hold onto this thought: everything that happens in our community – all of it – is God’s concern.

How we handle money, care for the gardens, maintain the buildings, speak with one another, relate to our staff – all of it has something to do with God.

And in all of these areas, people experience renewal – that is what I want to focus on for a moment.

Returning to my opening question: “Everything new!” is a wonderful promise, full of hope, especially for those who feel uncomfortable with the old or feel that something is missing. “Everything new!” – yes, in some situations that sounds wonderful: picking up a new book, choosing a new outfit, and so on.

But even in this community, we are reminded often: “new” does not automatically mean “better.” Many people experience it differently. A new government is always a hot topic, provoking mixed reactions.

New songs can be a challenge for some.

Making space for something new often means letting go of something old. In my devotion at the start of the school year, I spoke about how difficult it is for children when new partners join a family.

No, “new” is not automatically better. And yet, the verse for the year, and the whole vision of Revelation, expresses a longing for positive change – a new world.

This verse for the year comes from the seer John. He wrote these words while exiled on the island of Patmos, at a time when Christians were being brutally persecuted by the Roman authorities.

The suffering he speaks of is pointless suffering caused by oppressive rulers.

The new experience, the new world, is one where the presence and work of God can be experienced. Encountering God brings comfort, encouragement, hope, and allows people to breathe again and start anew.

For me, the verse of the year is an invitation to search for images that capture what “new” really means.

The Bible offers many of these new beginnings: the great rainbow God set in the sky when he promised never to destroy the earth again. Noah and part of his family, along with part of creation, survived and began again. This was no simple fresh start; it was beginning anew amidst ruins and the remains of the past.

For me, this renewal can be experienced every morning: when the day begins, there is a sense of “newness!” even though daily life continues. I do not expect that my life will be completely different tomorrow morning, yet every day brings new strength. It is different from the evening before.

“It is different from the evening before” – for me, this is a key phrase for understanding the verse of the year. John wrote his Revelation in a time when many lived in apocalyptic fear, believing that everything was coming to an end. Yet he looked beyond the end. He saw something new, which not many could yet see.

And this, I believe, is one of the great tasks for churches and congregations: to see beyond the world’s despair, and to bring that vision to people. Beyond destruction, for those who cannot imagine any alternative.

Yes, we are called to this world to show, even amidst apocalyptic fear, that a new day is breaking in the middle of the night.

“I am making everything new!” In the chaos of the world, God brings new life from nothing.

Letting God’s power work, recognising it, making it visible, and acknowledging it – this is what we do in this congregation. We all contribute to this: all the staff members being blessed today are part of it.

And it is good to wrestle with the “everything!” – not naively asking for everything to be turned upside down, but offering comfort wherever we can and sowing hope wherever possible.

God’s renewal is healing.

God’s renewal is comforting.

Here, we have a small gift for you: a little packet of seeds, given with love.

I remember back around 2006, during a severe crisis in our neighbouring country, Zimbabwe. There was nothing left. One day, a colleague in Harare, Klaus, called. We had offered help before.

“We have nothing left,” he said.

My husband and I started a relief project that day. If I hadn’t believed in miracles before, I started to then.

I can tell that story in more detail another time. For now, in those first weeks, we mainly delivered food – helping around a thousand people. Soon, it became clear: we must bring seeds too.

And that we did – and much grew from it.

This is our task: to sow hope through words and actions.

We have included a little of this in these packets: the beautiful African fabric, full of seeds, full of hope – for our congregation, our country, and our continent, for Africa!

May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.