Back to the Garden

Text: Rev 21:1-5, Rev 22:1-5

Central Idea of the Text: God will make the Old Things new!

Proposition: In Christ, as the old things seems older, the new things seem nearer.

Purpose: All who feel pressed by darkness must look to the Lord to be filled with the Hope of what is coming.

Sometimes in the life of the church, as people come and go, and as we do life together, we develop something of a history together. I’ve been here for 15 years, and so we have (for those who have been here for a while) a set of collective memories. Sometimes, that can develop into something like a sibling relationship, with inside jokes and some playful ribbing. But when new people show up, they may have missed out, so … they may not be in on the joke. Well, for those of you who showed up sometime in the past 5 years, you may not know that there is a certain song that on an occasion we sing around here. And when we sing it, everyone is looking at me and grinning, and trying to make me break while I try to sing that song with a straight face. So please humor me, while I catch a few of you up on a little church inside joke.

The year was 2022, September 25th to be exact. I was preaching a series through the Gospel of John, and I was preaching from the text that spoke of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest. But I started off that sermon with what I thought was a spicy take, but had no clue that it would be perhaps, one of my most controversial takes I’ve ever shared in a sermon. It got a bunch of raised eyebrows, handwringing, headshakes, and even concern for my faith. What was that controversial opinion? I don’t care for the hymn “In the Garden.” I said that I find it’s lyrics to be shallow, similar to some of the critiques that many have for some shallow modern worship songs. Musically, it does nothing for me. I said, “If you like that hymn, good for you. We may still sing it occasionally here, and you may even want that song to be sung at your funeral.” I said, “Well, I will sing that song over your dead body, you just won’t be singing it over mine.”

To this point, there are still several of you who have not forgotten that I said that. Someone will probably put that quote on a tshirt sometime, because some of you find it so hilarious. You all really love it when we sing that song, and you’re looking at me, trying to get me to break and laugh at me because I’m singing the song I don’t like. And you know it’s bad, when I know there are a few of you who know this, and we sing this song at an actual funeral. I have to really zone in and tune you out, I can’t look a single one of you who know this in the eye, because you’re trying to get me to break. And if I do, I will have to give a big apology to the family, and then go crawl into a hole for a while.

Yes, you may not be singing that song over my dead body. But that sermon, combined with the death of a good friend who prepared the music and message of his funeral many years before his passing, got me to thinking: what songs do I want played at my funeral? One of my kids was traveling with me a year ago, and they were looking thru my playlists while traveling, looking for something to listen to. They found a playlist saved on my phone called “When I die ...” and she was like, “Dad, why?” I was like: “Well, because I want to give thought to my death and what I want the living to reflect on as they think about my life.”

Today’s Spiritual Song is one of those songs. And some of you will be pleasantly amused to know that it is a song with the word “Garden” in the title. It is also the most recently written of all the songs on that playlist. The song is “Back to the Garden” by John Mark McMillen. This Christian Songwriter is most famous for writing the worship anthem How He Loves, made famous by the David Crowder Band. My son and I got to see John Mark at a concert last year in Seattle, and we heard him play this song live. I liked the song when I heard it on his Cosmic Supreme album, but I loved it when I heard him perform in live. Now I could play the track for you this morning, but it’s a simple enough song and means enough to me, that you will likely hear it one day at my own funeral, and I thought I would play it for you this morning. I hope you’ll listen and reflect on these lyrics, especially listening for the biblical imagery in this song. This is Back to the Garden.

Back to the Garden

John Mark McMillen

Walk me down to the garden

Past the flaming sword

Take me back to Eden

Tarry with me Lord

Cause I've been taking losses

That's what people do

But if I'm bearing crosses

I will bear with you

I must believe you remake old things

And I must believe you're making the universe new

We're too far gone for knowledge

The fruit of good and ill

But take me to the living tree

And I'll have my fill

Cause I've never had the words right

Or even thoughts to think

But take me to the waterside

My heart knows how to drink

I must believe you remake old things

And I must believe You're making the universe new

And I must believe You'll remake all things

And I have to believe there is a place for me too

In life and in the afterlife

In life and in the afterlife

Walk me down to the garden

Past the flaming sword

Take me back to Eden

Tarry with me Lord

I do hope you’ll give his original recording a listen wherever you stream your music. It is truly a wonderful song and a gift to Believers. Now I don’t know where this song landed with you this morning, but when I heard this man’s deep voice declaring these truths and finding us in our aging and the pain of loss that we experience as we age, I couldn’t help but praise God with tears streaming down my face. I’m guessing the lyrics of this song hit differently with some of us depending on where you land with getting old, aging and pain, combined with the increasing grief of losing those that you love and facing your own mortality. Anybody else feel the weight of this lyric?: “Cause I've been taking losses, That's what people do, But if I'm bearing crosses, I will bear with you.” The lyric that sticks with me: “I must believe you remake old things.” What is old will one day be new. That includes the older by the day, aching and aging me. If there is to be a hope in the face of encroaching pain, corrosion, grief and death, then there must be an author of that hope, and a belief in what the one who promises that hope will do. That is the hope of this song, and the hope of the Christian faith.

But it’s not simply because of a beautiful song or a bit of poetry that someone imagined. It is tied to very specific promises of the savior Jesus: John 14:1–3 “1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” And combined with that, we have the vision that Jesus gave to John, as he reveled just a glimpse of what is to come. I want us to look at these two passages as we reflect on this song today and the real, tangible hope that is ours in Jesus.

[Read Text]

Revelation 21:1–5 ESV

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 22:1–5 ESV

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

These are the words of the Lord for His church this morning.

This morning’s song and scriptures do make me think about the state of things as they are, and the state of things to come. One of the reasons the song this morning hits so hard with me personally is because it hits so hard with all of us as we age. Personally, between the health challenges of last year, dodging the colon cancer bullet, and the cracking and replacement of my two front teeth, I feel the breakdown in my body. As a person getting older, I see people who have meant so much to me aging and taking a slow step closer to the realization of their own mortality. And my very ministry and calling as a pastor places me in a seat where I’m sitting with you: as you lose a parent, a child, a friend. It could be really easy to get discouraged a lose heart when we see all this breakdown and death around us, and slowly lose our friends and our family. We could be discouraged and lose heart. But Paul addressed this with the believers. He said in 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 “16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.” In Christ, What is coming is better. For the Christian, as the old things seem older, the new things must seem nearer.

That is why the words of the song and of Jesus ought to come to the forefront of our minds and hearts as we consider the transience of life. The Words of Jesus in Revelation 21:5 are a beacon of light that beckon us into a glorious future which HE is preparing: “And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”” How blessed we are that John followed God’s call and wrote down the words and the vision. Christ will make ALL THINGS new. This is among the plethora of promises of Christ that meet us and sustain our faith in every season of our lives, our aging, our dying. In that regard, this is something of a funeral sermon preached to the living today. Where is your hope? And how is that hope pressing you forward bravely to face that which is ahead. It is God’s intention, as expressed thru Paul, that we NOT LOSE HEART.

So, what can those in Christ expect in the life that is ours to come? What anchors that hope? Those are the questions that John answers and that we note in five succinct "Betters” this morning:

A Better Place

John says in Verses 1 & 2: I saw a new heaven and a new earth. Well what happened to the old one, one might ask? They have been consumed in the judgement of God. What is to come a now the act of the new creation that follows the first creation. Some of you are wondering: well, I kinda like the place where we are now, isn’t this kinda sad? I’m gonna miss this place we have. Well, no, friend, that is not either what is intended and what will happen, that we will sit around bummed because the old creation has passed away. No, this creation will (in every way) be better. That is what the promises of God deliver on.

Think about it in this way: If you are thinking of the best parts of God’s creation, what do you often think of? A great Sunset at a beach. A full moon over a lake. A kitten. A scenic mountain. The reflective still water on a pond. A fresh berry bush found on a hike. A stream rushing in a waterfall. A field of flowers. I could go on. The things that make you pause for a moment of awe and say: “That is awesome.” But your awe isn’t just an awe at the thing, its an awe at the awesome creator, whether you know it or not. And HE says: “I am making something BETTER for you.” Paul says: 1 Corinthians 2:9 “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” The place he is making is Better, much better than the best we experience here and now.

A Better Occasion

John says in Revelation 21:2 “2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Now in this new place, this better creation, a beautiful city descends, a New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God. But as we noted in Revelation as we studied it, this city is representative of his church. He is, after all, building us up into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). Now, as the church, this city, is meeting face to face with her savior, John records that it is like a bride prepared for her groom; specific images related to a wedding ceremony.

Now, there are few moments in the world that are better in the world than a wedding ceremony, especially one between two people who want to honor God and seek his blessing on their marriage. We go to great lengths to get everything right. Right Deco, Right clothing, right photographer. And they seek to get the perfect shot and everyone anticipates the perfect moment. She’s walking in that door next to her dad. He’s waiting for her on the stage. And I’ve got the perfect front row seat as the pastor as we all get kicked in the feels and there are a lot of happy tears! The smile on her face. The joy in his eyes. Them locking in for the moment God designed them for and the life they intend to remain in for the rest of their lives. It’s a great, nearly unmatched occasion. But God says this occasion is better than that occasion. The Church locking eyes with the savior that they will spend eternity with? It is a greater occasion and greater celebration than any we will experience.

A Better Moment

John now says in verses 3-4 that the moment the church will find herself in, and all the individuals that compose that church, that moment will overtake every other moment we have experienced … good or bad. God is now dwelling with man. They his people and he their God. The barriers of sin that separated us are now no more, and this moment with the Lord will wash over every other moment. A day with the promises of verse 4: the end of tears, crying, pain, and the death of death. What a beautiful promise from King Jesus. That he himself will wipe every tear. We will have cried them all out, and he will have gathered them all.

Just as there is a better occasion than any of the great occasions of this world, so there is a moment of union with the savior which will overwhelm and wash away every pain of this life. Some of those moments seek to dominate our lives, and drag us into despair and doom. The day you got that diagnosis. The day you got that phone call. The day it happened and you wish you could forget every day of sorrow or darkness that followed. Yes, friend, that thing will no longer overshadow or define you. In Christ, we will have every answer. We will understand all purpose in the story that God is telling. And his moment with you will overshadow and infinitely heal every other moment.

A Better Food

As John’s vision advances past the outside of the city to the inside of the city, he envisions as place with God’s throne, and the throne of the Lamb, with a river of life flowing out of it. And growing across the river, the tree of life, bearing 12 different fruits, one for every season. As we have said before, the story of scripture begins at a tree, ends at a tree and hinges on what took place at a tree. But the plea of today’s song, take me back to the Garden is a plea to return to the place where we have access to the fruit of this tree by which we would live forever. To seek the blessings of heaven to come is to again have access to that tree.

And we are to seek to eat this fruit and drink this water. Revelation 22:14 says “14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” The intention for those washed by the Lamb is that they would have this free access to the tree and it’s fruit. As well, there is the invitation of Revelation 22:17 “17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” Here is this water of life, free to drink. Everything good that we tasted in this life is nothing compared to the fruit of life and the water of life. We ought to long to go to this place and share in these blessed provisions.

A Better Presence

Ultimately, that which we seek is not so much about a place, a substance, an event. Ultimately it is about the person of Jesus Christ. The vision records in Rev 22:3-5: The Curse is gone. Our God is present. We will worship him. And there is no night. It’s a space with endless day. And why wouldn’t we want that. We will be with our God forever serving and giving glory, not in this finite broken way we know, but in perfect fellowship. And the text is clear in verse 5: We will reign with him.

It’s hard to even find words to say the glory and beauty of what is to come, but I think that we can simply say: It will be better in each and every way.

In that spirit, I wrote this simple poetic reflection on this song and these visions in Revelation and I dedicate it to my church family, who has walked together through many times, both painful and joyful. I call this reflection: “This & That”

As Good as this is, That will be Better

As Sad is this is, That will be diametrically Joy-Filled

As Wrong as this is, That will be Satisfactorily Right

As Dying as this is, That will be Ever-Living

And this is what I come today to encourage your heart with, friend. The hope that we have to make sense of it all, endure through it all and stand at the end of it all is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd. As life weighs on us, as things break down, as we face grief and loss, may we cling to hope and not lose it. The promises of God are here to sustain us.

This week’s VBS meditations and lessons in Psalm 23, and my reflection on these scriptures led me and should lead us to really zoom in on Psalm 23:4 “4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” We should note that the psalmist does not ponder whether or not he will pass through that valley. He knows that he will. But he knows that even in those deepest challenges, even that of being faced with his own death. HE WILL FEAR NO EVIL, because he knows that God is with him. And he fixes his hope on and clings to the promise: “I will dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER.”

That hope is a hope that is rooted in the Lord, in relationship to Jesus Christ. Are you right with him? Do you know him? Do you know that he has dealt with your sin, so that he may take you back to the garden, and deliver you to eternal life in the father? Today, we invite you to know life in Jesus Christ. He died to forgive your sin, and what must we do? Respond by faith to the offer of his grace. Believe Jesus at his word. Turn from you sin, name Jesus as your Lord and be baptized in his Name. In Him, all of the promises of God are a “Yes!”