Devotion for October 10, 2022
No More Tears Revelation 21:4-6
“There’s no crying in BASEBALL!” Those immortal words chortled by Tom Hanks in the movie “A League of their Own” echo in my brain as I read this passage. Just as there is no crying in baseball, Jesus reminds us that there shall be no crying in the new world to come. Heaven is in a league all its own; and we can hardly imagine the glory.
The promise that comes to us from the prophecy of John is that there will be no sadness, no pain, no hurt, nothing to move us to tears, when the new created order arrives. Can you imagine? There will be no tears of sadness, there will be no death, there will be no pain!
Every day in the world to come will be like the wonders of Springtime or the brilliance of Fall. God is promising to complete redeem, to completely renew the world. While right now there is a lot to cry about, in the days of glory, there will be no more tears!
The hearers of John’s prophecy were in the midst of ridicule and persecution. The audience needed a good and strong word from the Lord. Their spirits were sagging. Their witness was being tempted. They were being beaten, tortured, and killed because of their faith. Their tears and cries for compassion were great.
You and I today are not facing the persecution and torture of those First Century Christians. However, we still have hurts, we still have temptations, we still have ridicule. Our Christian influence on the world is becoming less every day. Our testimony of Christ is being reduced to just a set of superstitions. We are in a real danger of becoming irrelevant. And that is a cause for tears.
Today, war is raging, economies are failing, domestic abuse is rising, and the world is looking for answers. Right now, families are housing insecure and food insecure. People are lonely and scared and searching. And they are in tears.
Let the church stand up! Let us wipe away our own tears and respond to the needs of today. Let us wipe away the tears of others as we love them and meet their needs. Let us be the hands and feet and heart of Jesus.
God says, “There is coming a day when the only tears you shed will be tears of joy!”
But that day is not THIS day! Let us be busy about the work of our Lord until THAT day!
This week’s blog is brought to you by Bo Prosser, Spiritual Direction Coach Manager with the Rural Clergy Fellows.