God is about to create new heavens and a new earth. I’ve always thought about this either as a historical thing that God relayed to God’s people thousands of years ago, or something that has to do with the end times, something that will happen in the future. This past year, that’s changed.
One year ago, my loved one was in the hospital in Portland for what would be a 6 week hospitalization. This hospitalization occurred after they threatened a police officer with a bottle, stole a hammer from the hardware store to kill their husband, and left us a murderous note. There was a lot of turmoil in their life, and as a result, in our life.
I was preparing for a diocesan convention that was going to have to be online because of the pandemic, figuring out all of the logistics of voting, registering, the head table, and the script.
I was working with the bishop who hired me during for his last convention, and his last months. I was preparing for the arrival of the new bishop, and wondering what that would mean for the diocese and my paying and non-paying ministries.
I was living in a house in Portland, that we’d purchased to accommodate our loved one, and facilitate bicycle commutes for my husband and me.
Now, everything is different. I live in Pittsburgh. I own a house that affords my loved one more privacy and independence while still allowing us to provide support as needed. I am getting to know the people and clergy of the Diocese of Pittsburgh as they prepare for their own bishop transition. I live in a predominantly African American community, which is overdue given the composition of my family. I’m no longer a paid church employee. Until the new bishop is seated, I don’t have an unpaid church ministry. I have lots of time to make multiple daily trips to the hardware store, to write, and to document this crazy new world.
The transition from the old world to the new was bumpy, and I suspect will continue to be rough. And yet. It absolutely feels like a God-created new heavens and new earth. I’m certain that has to do with God’s grace to give me the courage to pursue, and the faith to trust in God’s goodness.
God is creating new heavens and a new earth every day, all around me. If I walk through life waiting for that new earth to come some time in the future, I miss the creation that’s happening right now. This morning, I’m thinking about God’s new earth that’s unfolding every day, and how I can be aware of the new creation all around me.
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