Revelation 21:15-22, "Resistance is Futile" ;-)

 

Observation: The end of John's apocalypse--a mystic vision from God--includes the holy city, the New Jerusalem, descending from heaven so that God and humankind can dwell together. John is pretty specific about measurements for this city. Twelve gates, adorned by twelve precious stones, golden streets, and a total measurement of about 1400 miles on each side (hence, Star Trek fans will notice its similarity to a "Borg cube.") Yet even in this gigantic city, one thing is missing: there's no temple, because in this city, closeness to God is a given, anywhere you go. The temple is God. 

Application: Just as with many verses from Revelation, you can go down all sorts of rabbit holes if you try to take it literally. You could plot out what water, sewer, and electricity would need to be for such a facility, get with some urban planners, and predict the cost of construction and predicted population. That's one way to resist what the text is really trying to say to us. 

You could also do a deep dive into the symbolism, talk about the precious stones (which happen to be the same ones on the high preist's breastplate in the Old Testament, which means the city itself is a temple!) or other details of the text. That might yield some intellectual insights, but it might also distance you from the meaning of the text for our hearts. Another way of resisting the meaning. 

The best way to stop "resisting" the meaning of this text, for me, is to just ask: what is God saying to me in the midst of this? And to that, the answer is simple. "I want to be close to you." God's desire is to live with us, in such a way that there aren't any divisions between the holy and the common, between the people we wish we could be and the people we know we are. There won't be temples or churches, where we set aside a little of our time, talent and treasure for a little of our week. We will live together with the one who created us and saved us. It may not look like a "Borg cube", and it may not be solid gold, but it will be deeply meaningful and rewarding. It will be life as God meant it to be. 

Prayer: God, sometimes I use my mind to take a step back, and resist hearing what you have to say to my heart. Help me take a break from that today. Amen.