My friend wrote me this morning and mentioned a post from a couple days ago about the village of Kalavai.
"I woke up this morning remembering the quote: 'From a village of sadness, to a village of joy.'
That is what God wants for the whole world. That is the Kingdom of God."
That hit me like a freight train this morning.
The Story behind the quote is here...
Revelation 21:1-5 (NIV)
1 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.
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4 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."
5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
May God find us facing this direction today.
May God find us working with Him bringing His future into the present.
"...(the) biblical apocalyptic is all about God’s future breaking in to the present, seen in glimpses, known above all in Jesus, and best expressed not in abstract theology or even in preaching but, yes, in genuine and visionary art. Apocalyptic, both in form and in biblical content, is not about the denial of the present creation, but about the overcoming of its sorrows and the realizing of its promise. Apocalyptic is the key to understanding, and re-expressing, the beauty of God."
NT Wright, Apocalyptic and the Beauty of God
I disagree with N.T. on one point. I don't think this future is best expressed in art, but in the work of God's people through the local church in places like Granger, Monroe Circle, Thirumalaigiri, and Kalavai.
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