Longing for a Better Country

Revelation 21:1-22:5     Eric Boberg

Hebrews 11:13-16

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country — a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

One of the the great joys of my life is architecture. My shelves are overflowing with books featuring beautiful little houses and towns. I'm constantly on the lookout for that special dream town where the city fathers got some things right. A place of warmth and charm, unpretentious but with enough attention to detail to let you know that the builders and the people who live there really care. I have found a number of such towns and I've made a few special trips to experience them. If the sales of books and travel magazines are any indication I'm not the only one with this affliction.  A large part of the population is looking for the same thing. That secret out of-the-way place, undiscovered by most. Sometimes it's not grand vistas or recreational opportunities as much as something from the past, something that has been lost in other places. We are looking for Mayberry. Old towns are almost always more beautiful than new towns, because old towns embodied a society that had many more shared cultural and aesthetic values and so had a much greater internal harmony. And that harmony, if it lingers on and is mixed with the love of people for their town and for each other, can contribute to the overarching sense of beauty we experience.  We will long to be part of it ourselves. A number of years ago it occurred to me that this longing was really spiritual. This deep craving for beauty and harmony was really a longing for heaven and that new city.

In Revelation 21 John has a vision of a city that is also the bride of Christ. That means it is not only architecturally beautiful, it is beautiful because it is made up of people who are individually and collectively beautiful. They have shared values that are good, pure and loving toward each other and toward God. Imagine a place where everyone loves each other so much that crime is completely unthinkable. Most of the time the larger the city the more unsafe and insignificant we feel. But this city, which is almost 2 million square miles, is totally safe and totally loving. Another striking thing about this city is that it is modular; it comes down out of heaven made by God. It is recognizable as a city, but it is new, fresh, without any defects.

All the dream towns I have traveled to over the years have been interesting, but inevitably flawed and disappointing. Probably my favorite - Seaside, Florida - is strikingly beautiful. It was a grand experiment in what became known as the New Urbanism. A compact, traditional-looking town with everything necessary in walking distance.  Picket fences, brick streets and front porches to encourage interaction with your neighbors. The only problem was that it was so beautiful that it became too expensive for anyone to live in for more than short periods of time. Seaside has over 350 houses and cottages but only 14 full time residents. Everything is for rent.  So much for community.

Still, I can't help but applaud the effort and the creativity. You can argue that investing time and energy in building some paradise is selfish and impossible, but the impulse of wanting to find a better country goes back to Abraham. The building may be futile, but the searching and longing is Biblical. Rather than be frustrated by the flaws of dream towns, we might rather be thankful that they remind us this is just a shadow of something better (Romans 8:22).

Revelation 21:5 - He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

And let us be like Abraham, "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Hebrews 11:10