faithful and true.

In our Advent reading yesterday, we read Revelation 21:3-5, “Then I heard a voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. Then the one seated on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new.’ He also said, ‘Write, because these words are faithful and true.'”

Reading this, I began to imagine God dwelling with us here in this community.
Where they are His people; we are His people.
He is our God, here with us. Immanuel.
He is wiping away our tears.
There is no more grief, crying, or pain here.
THERE IS NO MORE GRIEF, CRYING, OR PAIN ON THIS STREET.

This feels unfathomable. It feels impossible.
But it is faithful and true.

It feels more real this week, as we had a friend crying on our porch last night, because she didn’t have any food for dinner. It feels more real this week, because Daw Ma Oo came for a visit and then returned for more cancer treatment in Yangon. This feels more real this week because we said goodbyes to some long-time, dear friends who moved back to Burma, and we cried, cried, cried. This feels more real this week as I recover from my last lanced abscess, fear another one, and recover from a burn; and Stephen recovers from a painful bike wreck. This feels more real this week because Jorgee told his mom that he wants to be a pastor when he grows up and asked if she was okay with that. This feels more real this week because one of the most Buddhist families in our neighborhood has six Advent trees hanging in their home and borrowed our glue stick to make some Christmas decorations.

I struggle to imagine this place without grief. I struggle to imagine these people as His, and our collective call to our God.

But it is faithful and true. It is coming. And honestly, we are waiting with urgency.