April 12: No Thirst Anymore for He is Making All Things New
♫ Music:
Day 39 - Saturday, April 12
Title: No Thirst Anymore for He is Making All Things New
Scripture #1: Revelation 21: 5–7 (NKJV)
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”
Scripture #2: Revelation 7:14–17 (NKJV)
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Poetry & Poet:
From “A Song to David”
by Christopher Smart
Precious the penitential tear;
And precious is the sigh sincere,
Acceptable to God:
And precious are the winning flow'rs,
In gladsome Israel's feast of bow'rs,
Bound on the hallow'd sod.
More precious that diviner part
Of David, ev'n the Lord's own heart,
Great, beautiful, and new:
In all things where it was intent,
In all extremes, in each event,
Proof—answ'ring true to true.
Glorious the sun in mid career;
Glorious th' assembled fires appear;
Glorious the comet's train:
Glorious the trumpet and alarm;
Glorious th' almighty stretch'd-out arm;
Glorious th' enraptur'd main:
Glorious the northern lights a-stream;
Glorious the song, when God's the theme;
Glorious the thunder's roar:
Glorious hosanna from the den;
Glorious the catholic amen;
Glorious the martyr's gore:
Glorious—more glorious is the crown
Of Him that brought salvation down
By meekness, call'd thy Son;
Thou that stupendous truth believ'd,
And now the matchless deed's achiev'd,
Determin'd, dar'd, and done.
THIRST, HOPE, AND MAKING ALL THINGS NEW
Imagine, for a moment, entering the sanctuary of today’s images. Imagine being enveloped in the ocean of light-filled blues, gleams of sunlight drawing eyes and heart and mind up and in toward that simple cross. What might it be like to rest in this space for a time, floating in the expansive beauty of the light? What emotions might emerge if we let them––grief? Peace? Longing? Hope?
The De Profundis Anglican Church sits in the heart of Fujian, a small coastal province in southeastern China. It was purposefully built in a desolate place, where quarries mar lush mountain landscapes and factories replace family tea farms. The church’s architecture mimics traditional communal living spaces built over the last five centuries by the region’s Hakka minority group. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, these surviving Tulou homes are massive, containing hundreds of rooms, their circular shape providing defensive protection on the perimeter while opening to bright courtyards in their center. Tulou communal homes have been oases from past and present danger.
This church, observes the architect, was built as a refuge for local families, offering hope and comfort amid the challenges of a rapidly changing landscape and world. We might also wonder at the tremendous gift that this cross-centered sanctuary must be for a community that has for generations sought the Lord in the midst of oppressive political realities. It’s very name reflects these tensions: De Profundis references Psalm 130:1, "Out of the depths have I cried to you, oh Lord."
I am an outsider to the Chinese Christian experience of walking with the Lord through subtle and overt persecution; I am an outsider to the Fujian Christian hope of holding to communal traditions in a rapidly shifting economic landscape. And, as an outsider, when I consider the community’s story––De Profundis, expressed in glass and stone––I am in awe of the Spirit’s consolation and strengthening in the midst of profound grief and sorrow, longing and thirst.
These believers know what it means to live together in the hope of the “already” alongside the grief, injustice, and uncertainty of the “not yet.” They know what it means to draw on the strength of communal traditions to create a refuge in the midst of desolation, an oasis that welcomes neighbors and friends to join the family of God. What a remarkable thing, that this communal space prompts those who enter to tread the ocean depths of God’s love, to meditate on the promise of living water, and to hope for the day in which every tear of grief and sorrow of injustice will be wiped away.
In this Lenten season, may stories of our global community of believers turn our own hearts to the promise of “sweet after bitter, hope after fears / Home after wandering, praise after tears… / He is making all things new.”
Prayer:
Lord, we remember these stories of believers worldwide, of those who walk with you in circumstances that many of us can hardly imagine. May your Spirit continue to strengthen them in your love, preserving them with your mighty power. May your Spirit strengthen each of us in the “already” and the “not yet,” as we wait in hope for the day that you will make all things new.
Amen
Dr. Lisa Igram
Assistant Professor of Theology
Rosemead School of Psychology
Office of Student Wellness
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Art:
De Profundis Anglican Christian Church (multiple views)
Luoyuan Christian Congregation
Architectural planning firm: Inuce
Dirk U. Moench, Lead Architect
Stained glass production: TSW Art Glass
2011
Fuzhou City
Luoyuan County, China
The architectural studio Inuce designed the De Profundis Anglican Christian Church in the coastal city of Fuzhou in Eastern China. The church design is based on Chinese rural dwellings called tulou, which are unique to the mountainous areas in Fujian, China. Built between the twelfth and the twentieth centuries, a tulou is a large, enclosed, and fortified earth building, most commonly circular with thick load-bearing earthen walls between three and five stories high and housing up to eight hundred people. The whole structure resembles a small fortified city. Here the architects have built a church “wrapped” in one hundred thousand panes of blue stained glass. The architect of the project, Dirk Moench, designed the stained-glass window’s multiple blue panes called De Profundis based on Psalm 130, which reads: "Out of the depths, I have cried to You, O Lord.” Moench explains that the blue glass "evokes in the spectators’ eyes the impression of being submerged to the bottom of the ocean and surrounded by blue waters…The absolute darkness is defeated and dispersed by an aura of divine light coming from the surface, right above the sanctuary. The image shows us that even in the darkest moments of our lives, when we feel despair and isolation from the outside world, we are not deprived of hope."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujian_tulou
https://www.dezeen.com/2021/05/12/luoyuan-church-china-inuce-blue-stained-glass/
https://www.archdaily.com/903076/luoyuan-anglican-church-inuce
About the Artist:
Dirk U. Moench is a German–Brazilian architect and academic. He conducted his studies of architecture and urban design at the University of Sao Paulo and Tongji University in Shanghai before graduating from the Technical University Berlin. Moench’s work is characterized by his concern about the effects current urbanization speed has on urban residents, especially in fast-growing developing countries. He expresses the hope that architecture can induce a localized healing process to traumatized urban environments by reinforcing human contact, developing local heritage, and facilitating spiritual experience. In addition to his career as a practitioner in the fields of architecture and urban design, Moench acts as visiting professor at the University of Fuzhou and is currently conducting his dissertation research at the Department of Architectural Theory at TU Berlin.
https://www.dezeen.com/2021/05/12/luoyuan-church-china-inuce-blue-stained-glass/
https://www.europeanarch.eu/dirk-u.-moench.html
About the Music: “All Things New”
Lyrics:
Light after darkness, gain after loss,
Strength after weakness,
Crown after cross;
Sweet after bitter, hope after fears,
Home after wandering, praise after tears.
Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end,
He is making all things new.
Springs of living water shall wash away each tear,
He is making all things new.
He is making all things new.
Sight after mystery, sun after rain,
Joy after sorrow, peace after pain;
Near after distant, gleam after gloom,
Love after loneliness, life after tomb.
Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end,
He is making all things new.
Springs of living water shall wash away each tear,
He is making all things new.
He is making all things new.
He is making all things new.
About the Composers: Frances Havergal (poem) and Elaine Hagenberg (music)
Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879) was an English religious poet and hymn writer. “Take My Life and Let it Be” and “Thy Life for Me” are two of her best-known hymns. She also wrote hymn melodies, religious tracts, and works for children. Though she never gained a prominent place as a poet, she is remembered for her hymns praising the love of God and His way of salvation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Ridley_Havergal
Elaine Hagenberg is an accomplished pianist and singer who is becoming well-known as a contemporary American composer and arranger of choral music. She studied at Washington State University, where she earned a B.M. in music education, and Portland State University, where she earned a M.M. degree in choral conducting. After earning her degree in music, she began raising a family of children and composing while at home. Within the last decade, she has become a household name among choral artists. Hagenberg’s music is known for its lush harmonies, memorable melodies, and sensitive settings of poetry and texts. Her works have been performed by choruses around the world and have been featured at national and regional music conferences in the United States. Some of her most well-known pieces include “O Love,” “The Music of Living,” and “The Tree of Peace.” In addition to her work as a composer and arranger, Hagenberg is also an active conductor and clinician and has taught at the high school and college levels.
https://canticlesingers.org/elaine-hagenberg-i-am-the-wind/
https://www.elainehagenberg.com/about
About the Performers: The Tennessee All State Choir under the direction of Dr. Marques Garrett
The Tennessee All State Choir is a prestigious music group for young vocalists in Tennessee. It is sponsored by the Tennessee Music Education Association (TMEA) which recognizes students who have demonstrated exceptional talent and dedication to music.
A Virginia native, Dr. Marques Garrett is the associate professor of choral studies at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. His responsibilities include conducting the University Singers and teaching graduate and undergraduate choral conducting. His previous appointments were at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Cheyney University. Additionally, he holds a Ph.D. in music education (choral conducting) from Florida State University, an M.M. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a B.A. from Hampton University.
https://www.mlagmusic.com/
About the Poetry and Poet:
Christopher Smart (1722–1771) was an English poet. He was a major contributor to two popular magazines, The Midwife and The Student, and a friend to influential cultural icons like writers Samuel Johnson and Henry Fielding. Smart, a high-church Anglican, was widely known throughout London. Christopher Smart’s poetry is notable for its visionary power, Christian ardor, and lyrical virtuosity. Although he is recognized primarily as a religious poet, his poetry includes various other themes, such as his views on nature and his promotion of English nationalism.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/christopher-smart
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Smart
About the Devotion Writer:
Dr. Lisa Igram
Assistant Professor of Theology
Rosemead School of Psychology
Office of Student Wellness
Biola University
Lisa Igram’s twenty years of experience in higher education includes a variety of teaching and cocurricular leadership experiences. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Theology at Rosemead School of Psychology and assists the Office of Student Wellness at Biola University in support of students’ holistic well-being. She holds a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from the University of Aberdeen, and her research focuses broadly on the value of embodiment for spiritual growth.