Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 (NRSV)
Read Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 on biblegateway.com
Verse 10And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. Verse 22I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. Verse 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Verse 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Verse 25Its gates will never be shut by day-and there will be no night there. Verse 26People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. Verse 27But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Chapter 22Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb Verse 2through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Verse 3Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; Verse 4they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Verse 5And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Devotion
“His name will be on their foreheads.”
Have you ever had a no-good, terrible day? My terrible days usually start with something unfortunate happening early on and it feels like my whole day is ruined.
Conversely, when my day starts great, it is a good sign that things are going to be pretty OK! What would it mean for us to keep the name of God on our foreheads, to have the grace of our savior as the focus of our minds, as the goal of our devotion? It wouldn’t get rid of the bad days, but it might help inform and interpret the world around us. How would it help us reframe the challenges of today in light of a God who made it all—and a God who makes great things? The name of God has been written on your foreheads, so make a sign of the cross on yourself and go out knowing that nothing you will encounter today is outside the grace of God.
Prayer
Holy One, your grace has flooded this world, and your love goes before us. With your cross in our minds, guide us to see the world with your eyes—full of love and joy. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.