"A Vision of the Future"

The leader of a certain Indian tribe encamped at the base of a mountain was dying. The chief summoned his three sons and said, "I am dying and one of you must succeed me as the head of our tribe. I want each of you to climb our holy mountain and bring back something beautiful. The one whose gift is the most outstanding will succeed me."

After several days the sons returned. The first brought his father a flower, which grew near the summit and was extremely rare and beautiful. The second son brought his father a stone, which was colorful, smooth, and round, having been polished by rain and sandy winds. The third son’s hand was empty.

He said, "Father, I have brought nothing back to show you. As I stood on top of the holy mountain, I saw that on the other side was a beautiful land filled with green pastures and a crystal lake. And I have a vision of where our tribe could go for a better life. I was so overwhelmed by what I saw and by what I was thinking that I could not bring anything back." And the father replied, "You shall be our tribe’s new leader, for you have brought back the most precious thing of all—the gift of vision for a better future."

In our text from the book of Revelation today, the apostle John is given a marvelous vision of a hope-filled future. Through that vision, God moves John beyond time and into eternity. He is given the vision of a new heaven, and a new earth, and a New Jerusalem; which are all made by God. In this new city, God lives eternally with people from every tribe and nation. What a spectacular vision of the future! What a wonderful message of hope!

Vision and hope was what early Christians needed the most as they suffered from the persecution of the cruel Roman Empire. Life was chaotic, uncertain and dangerous for those Christians of the first century. God knew that they needed vision and hope if they and Christianity were going to survive.

When Greek philosopher Diogenes was captured and taken to be sold in the slave market it is said that he mounted the auctioneer’s platform and cried aloud, "A master has come here to be sold. Is there some slave among you who is desirous of purchasing him?" It is impossible to make a slave of someone who has a vision of something better. They are just as happy in a state of slavery as in a state of freedom.

It is often in the context of suffering and persecution that God provides his people with the strength of vision and hope to see their way through seemingly blind and hopeless circumstances. God’s promise of a New Heaven and a New Earth moves believers to rejoice in their salvation and to call unbelievers to repentance and faith.

Vision and hope are important now and have always been important for humanity. A vision of the future and the hope of something better is something that humanity has always hungered and thirsted for. It is the hope and dream of something better that brings people to our great country, and has brought them here for 400 years.

The Old Testament is full of visions and hopes of a glorious future for the Israelites as well as for all other nations. The prophets, in particular, had dreams and visions of the Messiah’s age. In their dreams and visions they spoke of God wiping out death, and tears, and mourning and pain.

The writer of Proverbs tells us that: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." (29:18) And Job, who had been schooled in the university of this world’s pain and suffering, longingly asks God the following question about humanity’s ultimate destiny: "If mortals die, will they live again?" (14:14)

We can rejoice that the old fallen world and the effects of sin on this world will disappear. In our text, when God makes the new city of Jerusalem, God calls it "home;" it is the place where God will "dwell" with all of His people. The words "home" and "dwell" here literally mean "tabernacle" or for God to literally pitch His tent among us. In the Old Testament, the tabernacle was the visible sign of God’s presence among the Israelites.

In a world that is troubled with death, tears, mourning, crying and pain; we too are given this marvelous vision and hope that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, a New Jerusalem. No more death, no more tears, no more mourning, crying or pain. No more wars and divisions of people by race, culture, language and national borders. Instead, we will have a home of love, security, joy, unity, equality, peace and final fulfillment. This is our vision and hope for the future—the place we call our true home, and a place of eternal life.

However, this vision and hope is also ours right now, today. It is the future breaking into the present, eternity reaching out to time. That is why we pray "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Hope of the future is present when we say in the communion liturgy: "Therefore with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven we laud and magnify your glorious name, evermore praising you and saying."

As a pastor, there are things that I do that I love and hate all at the same time. First on that list would be ministering to members of this congregation that are sick and sometimes even dying. It is hard not to let my love for those people as fellow Christians and as people that I might have known for years and befriended get in the way. It’s hard for me not to let their impending death and the suffering that they may be going through to really get me down.

But on the other side of that same coin, I am energized and excited and even moved way down deep inside when, even through that pain and suffering, those brothers and sisters in Christ have a hope and a vision of something better. It gives me great joy when words of Scripture bring tears of comfort and thanksgiving for what will soon be theirs.

They know that through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus that the tribulations that test their faith and patience are only temporary things. They know that the sign of the cross made on their forehead and on their hearts when they were baptized protects them as one of God’s children. They know that their robes have already been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.

It is by having this marvelous vision and hope for the future that we will also be inspired and strengthened to live under the reality of today, right now. Without vision and hope we as individuals, congregations, our Synod, run the risk of going the way of the dodo.

So, brothers and sisters, no matter how difficult your circumstances; no matter how seemingly blind and hopeless you may feel; don’t give up, remember God is not finished with you yet—for through he gives you a vision and a hope in Christ that lasts a lifetime and beyond.

Through faith, the Holy Spirit empowers us to share with others the reason for our faith. We who believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior envision ourselves as part of the New Jerusalem. Even though weeping and sorrow may be a part of the picture now, they are on their way out and soon to be forgotten.

May each of your hearts always be where true joys are found. Amen.