Advent Devotion – A Light Shines in the Darkness – Day 24

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.
Revelation 21:22-25

The Only Thing

The most unlike my “normal South Florida day” I’ve ever experienced was the summer solstice in Iceland. That far north on June 21, the longest day of the year, meant there were only thirty-one minutes of night. Barely dipping below the horizon, the sun’s presence made it so that nighttime never really got dark.

I would love to say that this experience made the words of Revelation easier to imagine or that I can better visualize heaven because I experienced a day without “night.”

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. That’s because today’s reading isn’t about the removal of darkness or nighttime. It’s about the presence of God and the impact of his presence on life itself.

Here on Earth, we are completely dependent on the light we receive from the sun. Without it, crops wouldn’t grow, food wouldn’t exist, and life as we know it would stop. The sun shows us where to walk, keeps us safe from predators, and even regulates our mood. No sun means no life.

That’s not the only thing we depend on for survival. Water, air, and shelter are basic human needs. In North America, we thrive because these are readily accessible to most. We also enjoy safety, social connection, and personal growth because of societal order made possible through the governments that establish law and order.

Even our spiritual survival is dependent on a regular rhythm of confession and absolution to free us from the fear, shame, and guilt caused by sin. Without the full and free forgiveness we receive in Word and sacrament, sin would consume us.

This is how life works for us here and now. But John’s revelation shows us that heaven will be radically different. In eternity, the only thing we will need for existence is Jesus himself.

Jesus, the visible display of God’s undeserved love for us, is the “glory of the Lord.” This grace given through the Lamb will light our way, guide our walk, and provide perfect peace and safety.

In heaven, grace will not be something we return to again and again as we struggle with sin—it will be the atmosphere we breathe. The presence of God Almighty and the Lamb will give us life in a way our sun never could. His love will keep us secure, removing the need for gates. We won’t need a temple because his dwelling will be with us.

It’s not simply that it will always be daytime. It will be that God himself, in Jesus, will be the light, the security, the joy, and the center of everything we need for our existence.

That day will truly be unlike any we’ve ever experienced before!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, you are the light that gives life, the forgiveness that sustains us, and the hope that guides our way. As we wait this Advent season, teach us to loosen our grip on the things we depend on here and cling instead to you, our true source of peace and safety. Prepare our hearts for the day when you will be our all in all and we will dwell forever in the glory of your presence. Amen.

Written by Dawn Schulz