No Thirst Anymore for He is Making All Things New

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.

“All Things New.” Composed by Frances Havergal (poem) and Elaine Hagenberg (music). Performed by The Tennessee All State Choir under the direction of Dr. Marques Garrett.

Poetry:

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

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