Message of the Week: I saw the New Jerusalem

It may seem a bit strange but I find myself relating to the Old Testament character Isaiah and the New Testament author St. John in the same way because we see the future.

Now, I was raised in Southern California, worked as a life guard at the beach and next to the pool, purchased a small ranch to raise cattle in San Diego and found myself next to bankrupt.

So, with the call of a friend, we were off to Oregon in the sunny month of August just to be followed by the rainy months of September, October, November, December ... well you've got the idea. Fourteen years later I applied for a new position so my family and I could get back to sunny California.

The land of perpetual sunshine, a new position, and new home with swimming pool, kids in college, a higher salary and a school district with no problems. I was off to my New Jerusalem.

In fact, some farmers thought the same thing 100 years before me. Away from the coast toward the sunny San Joaquin River and valley of the same name, to an area just outside of today's city of Tracy, that became known as New Jerusalem.

When times are hard, don't we all look to the future to satisfy our needs and desires?

Isaiah looked at the problems his Israelite friends were having and his vision of the future when sad times would be forgotten and life with the family would return to joyful times.

A major grief to any family is their baby's death and infant death was common. But the vision gave hope of a long life for all infants.

It's hard to believe that adults would die in their 30s, but living and working as a captive nation meant hard work, disrupted family life and poor health. Yet Isaiah foretold of a time when people would live to be 100 years old; when their country was overrun by their neighbors and the people were carried away. This left the city ready to be occupied by the invaders. This New Jerusalem envisioned by Isaiah would never be conquered again.

Yes, good times were in store for the children of Israel, a day of sunshine, good health and well being.

So nearly 900 years later, St. John, the disciple, had a similar vision of what the Christian has in his future. John agreed with Peter that good days were ahead when the righteous would have a new heaven and new earth. John said we will not die, we will not mourn and pain will be no more.

Today, most people look for a time in their life without stress, without pain, without mourning. We look for a new life with a new job, a new house and new car. Or just a new beginning.

It has been 3,000 years since Isaiah's vision and 2,000 years since St. John's report. And Jesus taught us that we are to rest our cares on his shoulders, the heavenly kingdom will come to earth and his earthly kingdom will be the same as his heavenly kingdom.

So let's hurry our part of the earthly kingdom by following the teachings of Christ. Share God's grace so our New Jerusalem will come and our present life will be enjoyable, as it will be in the will of God and eternal life will be the prize of the future.

Thom Guthrie is interim pastor of the Live Oak Church of the Brethren, 1990 Archer Ave., Live Oak. The Message of the Week is an overview of the topic a faith leader is speaking on at services. To include your faith group in our Message of the Week column, contact Faith & Family coordinator Larry Badger at 741-2400 or lbadger@appealdemocrat.com