Play @335Beekman from Graffiti 2 Community Ministries on Vimeo.
In our Upside-Down Trainings we often ask people to draw a picture of a healthy community. What image comes to mind?
For me, it’s not so much an image as a sound. From my apartment window I can hear a lot of sounds. Honking horns, angry screaming, or the siren song of emergency vehicles point to brokenness, not health. However, there are pleasant sounds. Seagulls honk in the morning. Song-birds sing their tune. Baseball fans in St. Mary’s Park scream at the sound of a cracking bat.
Living next to an elementary school, there is another sound I particularly love, the sound of children playing. This is a sound I hear often @335Beekman. I hear it as children play dodge-darts in the basement, as youth play foursquare in the parking lot, or as a multi-generational squad plays football on the street in front of our building. This is the sound of a healthy community.
God gives us a picture of a healthy community in Revelation 21-22.
Consider these observations from Upside-Down Joy about this perfect community:
- It’s safe, with huge walls; yet there is freedom. The gates are always open.
- People walk the gold streets where there is no more poverty or pain.
- A river runs through the city, just like in Eden. On both sides of this river is a tree. The multifaceted fruit of this tree is life and the healing of the nations. Racism is no more.
- We will have no more darkness or confusion; God is the light. We are blessed by His presence. His kingdom has come, His will done.
Revelation 21-22 is a beautiful picture of a healthy, perfect community. Have you ever thought though what it will sound like? Let me help. Press play on the video above, close your eyes, and listen.
