By Tim Hodge, CCCNZ South Island Regional Enabler
I loved watching the 2024 Olympics that were recently held in Paris—the drama of top-level sport, the surprises of who won and who didn’t, the “what are the rules of this sport” conversations, our collective marvelling over Dame Lisa Carrington, and hearing our national anthem several times over. But the aspect I loved the most was the sheer number of nations present.
In all their brilliance, the Olympic games are but a shadow of the new creation we see in Revelation, where John marvels:
I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
Muri iho i enei mea ka kite ahau, na, he mano tini, e kore nei e taea e tetahi te tatau, no nga iwi katoa, no nga hapu, no nga huihuinga tangata, no nga reo, e tu ana i mua i te torona, i mua hoki i te Reme.
Revelation 7:9
This is such a glorious picture. Every nation. Every tribe. Every people. Every language.
Not only are the nations present in the new creation, but they will also “bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations” (Revelation 21:26).
More than hearing stories from the Olympics, I love hearing stories from all over our own nation, of churches welcoming people from different tribes and nations. In those moments, we are reminding ourselves that, because of Jesus, we have more in common with other followers of Jesus who might have a different ethnicity, language and nationality to us than we do with our neighbours who aren’t yet Christians.
How is Revelation 7 displayed in your church already? What does it look like for your own church to welcome people from other nations or tribes?
Maybe you read the Bible and sing in multiple languages, or translate the sermon into New Zealand Sign Language, or have flags in the building of all the nations represented in your church, or meet with a GC3 mission partner, or have a potluck with food from other nations, or advocate for and share the gospel with an ethnic minority in your community—the options are endless! If you have stories of how this looks in your context, I’d love to hear from you!
In Jesus together.
