Year C, Easter 6, 2016 – Open 24/7

I don’t know about you, but I like to sleep. I’ve learned to get by with about 6 hours a night, but given my ‘druthers, I’d sleep much longer than that. I mention this because in his vision of the new Jerusalem in Revelation, John suggests that heaven no longer has any darkness, and we can infer from that there will no longer be night. We can further infer that means no more sleep. As a matter of fact, the servants of God in this new city will worship God continuously. I suspect that being in this new place with this new reality of never ending light and day and praise means we will have a new disposition – if not actual physical capabilities – to stay up and glorify God. But, can we still have our coffee? This Week’s Texts Acts 16: 9-15 – [02:01] How far would you be willing to travel to be with someone special? How far have you travelled to be with someone special? Would you be willing to walk? To sail? To drive? To take a bus? Once you got there, how would you know where to go to meet that person? Paul has a vision of a person in Macedonia (which is a region) asking for help. Without any other details than that, he rises, gathers his traveling companions, and sets out. With no GPS, no cell phones, no reservations in a hotel, they arrive and look for where to start. I am amazed by their trust. Smarts: Eye [02:56], People [04:08], Self [05:49] Acts 16 worksheet   Revelation 21: 10, 22 – 22:5 – [09:05] I think we only scratched the surface of what can be done with Multiple Intelligences in this passage. John includes so much symbolism of Israel’s ancient worshiping life and prophecies of God’s promised presence. This passage is a banquet, truly. We will tempt your appetite with samplings from all eight “smarts” and hope that you will find something that is delicious. Or, even better, you will sample something and add your own ingredients to make the menu even more luscious! Have fun – and share your recipe with us! Smarts: Word [10:42] Eye [12:00] Math [13:50] Body [15:59] Music [17:06] Nature [17:46] People [20:10] Self [22:52] Revelation 21:22 worksheet   John 14:23-29 – [23:45] When John of Patmos sees the new Jerusalem descending from heaven, he sees Jesus’ promise to the disciples coming to fulfillment – “we will come to them and make our home with them.” While this promise must have been wonderful to hear, the disciples are still trying to come to terms with the idea that Jesus is leaving them. He is clear about his coming absence – he will be going – but he does not leave them without hope and without peace. Smarts: Word [24:42] Eye [25:26] Math [26:12] People [27:03] Self [28:56] John 14 worksheet   Links Acts Paul’s Second Missionary Journey   Revelation Never Ending Day – math equation Word study in Greek – Revelation 21 O Holy City Seen of John – hymn O Lord You Gave Your Servant John – hymn Sleepers Awake – hymn crystal clear surf  crystal clear river Alexander MacLaren’s commentary on Ezekiel 47 The Midnight Sun