By the Rev. Micah Krey
Revised Common Lectionary reflection, Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C
May 18, 2025
Key Verse: “See, I am making all things new.” -Revelation 21:5
Revelation 21:1–6 gives us a glimpse of the final act of God’s redemptive drama: a new heaven, a new earth, and a new way of being in relationship. This is not a destruction of the old but a renewal. It’s a vision soaked in hope and promise — God’s dwelling among mortals, tears wiped away, death and pain no more. From a stewardship perspective, this passage invites us to imagine our role in God’s ongoing renewal project.
Too often, stewardship is narrowed to maintenance — keeping buildings open, budgets balanced, programs afloat. Revelation 21 expands that view. We are stewards not only of what is but also of what is becoming. We are called to cultivate lives and communities that reflect the “new thing” God is doing even now. Our stewardship becomes future-facing: acts of care, justice, and healing that participate in the holy work of making all things new.
As preachers, we can emphasize that this future-facing stewardship shows up in how we tend relationships, the planet, and the church. How do we respond to pain and loss in our communities? Are we listening for the Spirit’s promise of newness or clinging to what is crumbling? Revelation 21 reminds us that resurrection doesn’t mean going back; it means God is leading us forward into something more life-giving.
And importantly, it’s God who says, “It is done.” We are not the ultimate redeemers or restorers. But we are called to be faithful midwives to new life. Stewardship, then, is less about control and more about faithful trust—planting seeds we may not see fully bloom, yet believing God’s renewal is real and coming.
In a season like Easter, Revelation 21 offers deep joy. The empty tomb was not the end but a beginning. God is not done with us. This is good news not only to preach—but to live.
In Worship
Center the worship space with imagery of transformation and new creation — perhaps draped fabric shifting from dark to bright colors or visuals of gardens blooming from dry soil. Begin worship with a reminder that “God is making all things new” — and invite people to name aloud places in their lives or the world where they long for that renewal.
Use music that reflects both lament and hope (e.g., “Now the Green Blade Rises,” “We Are Marching in the Light of God”). Invite a testimony or brief story from someone who has experienced personal renewal — grief transformed, recovery begun, reconciliation found — as a living echo of God’s promise. End with a communal affirmation: “We believe in a God who makes all things new.”
With Youth
Use the phrase “all things new” as a conversation starter: What does that mean to them? What in the world, or in their lives, do they wish could be made new? Invite them to create visual expressions of that hope (drawings, photos, short poems) and display them in a common area of the church.
Connect the Revelation text to the idea of “legacy” — what kind of world are they helping to shape through their stewardship of time, energy, voice, and gifts? Encourage a discussion about climate care, social justice, or even conflict resolution among peers. Youth often live at the intersection of brokenness and imagination. This passage validates both and calls them to hope.
With Children
Show the children an old Tee shirt, maybe one that’s outgrown or worn thin, and then show a quilt made from t-shirts or scraps of fabric. Ask, “Have you ever had a favorite shirt you didn’t want to let go of?” Then say, “Sometimes we hold on to things because they remind us of good memories. But God loves to take old things, even the ones we’re not sure what to do with, and make something new and beautiful out of them.”
Read Revelation 21:5 in a child-friendly version: “Look! I am making everything new!” Talk about how being good stewards means not just saving old things, but looking for how God can make something new through them. Invite the children to draw or imagine something in their life that could become part of God’s new creation.
Close with a prayer and blessing: “God is making all things new—and that includes you. You are part of God’s beautiful, creative quilt!”
Previous reflections for Easter 5C:
2019 – Bringing down walls and opening minds
2016 – The joy of ‘New’
2013 – Tough love
2010 – Are you an undercover lover?
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