Failed Utopias And The Promise Of The New Creation

Text: Isaiah 65:17-25

In the name of Jesus. Amen.  

Imagine a world where cities are filled with laughter in the streets, where there are no sounds of weeping or cries of anguish.  A world where no one is left out.  

Imagine a world where every child is safe, where babies won’t die in the cradle.  A world where people will no longer say, 

“They died too young.”  

Imagine a world where people will live long and full lives – where no one will have to worry that their days are numbered.  

Imagine a world where everyone will enjoy the works of their hands – neighborhoods where homes are not foreclosed, gardens are not neglected, and everyone thrives.  A world where possessions and wages are not stolen by greed.  Yes, a world where parents will no longer have to worry if their children’s future will be brighter than their own. 

Imagine a world where enemies will no longer exist – a world where nations, races, and political rivals will no longer be in conflict – a world where no one will hurt or destroy one another.

This world sounds good; does it not?  It sounds like perfection. 

So, what is holding us back?  Let’s make this world happen right now.

Dear friends, many have tried in the past to create a perfect utopia but failed.  For example, the Soviet Union, under Stalin and Lenin, tried to make a classless society with equal wealth distribution.  In the end, though, there were mass purges, widespread poverty, and the slaughter of millions.  

In Cambodia, under Pol Pot, they were going to create a Marxist society without class or money based on rural farming.  In the end, though, there were forced labor camps, mass executions, and famine that killed millions.  

In the 18th and 19th Centuries, Shakers in England and the United States and the Oneida Community developed with similar goals.  They set up communal living with celibacy, equality, and euphoric worship practices of shaking (to name a few things).  In the end, though, they both dwindled due to internal conflicts, social tension, and not enough sustained growth.       

And so, it seems that creating a perfect utopic society is impossible.  And yet, people are still trying to do it.  Young idealists fresh out of college or zealous young socialists who have just read Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto are convinced that we are one revolution away from a perfect utopia.  Now, despite their naiveté, even their best efforts will fail too, just like everyone else.  The reason is that, in this world, there are just too many thorns in the ground, too many natural disasters, and too many diseases to make a perfect utopia a reality.  Furthermore, human nature is too flawed with greed, too corrupted with selfishness, and too attached to the desire for power. If you don’t believe this, take 10 minutes to observe Black Friday this week at retail stores.  As you will see, one look at Black Friday shows that a perfect utopia is impossible. 

So, perhaps a perfect utopia in which people live long, fulfilled lives, enjoying the fruits of their labor while dwelling in harmony with one another, is just a pipe dream. 

Dear friends, let me break the news to you.  This side of glory, it is indeed a pipe dream.  It is not possible.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is foolish at best or a fraud at worst.  Again, human nature is just too flawed with sin, and the world is just too cruel with thorns to create a perfect utopia on earth.  But let me be clear: just because it is a pipe dream this side of glory, it does not mean that it is an unrealistic or impractical hope – something that will never happen.  

In our reading from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, the Lord God describes the new heavens and earth.  That is to say; the Lord God tells you and me that the former things – this world which is infested with sin and its curses – will soon be forgotten.  It will soon no longer come to your mind.  You see, the Lord God makes this promise to you Christians right now that He will create a new heaven and earth – that He will make all things new, where there will be no more sorrow, death, or threats.  Indeed, on the last day – the great eschaton – all things will be refined by fire and made anew so that the usual circumstances of life and death in a sin-broken world will be cast aside, never to happen again.  

Now, let me be blunt this morning.  We Christians have failed to take these verses to heart.  On the one hand, many times, we Christians operate as if this world in its present state is all that we have and can look forward to.  As a result, we jump on the bandwagon of trying to create a utopic bliss, as we have already covered thus far.  We work hard to deny our death and decorate this world with mankind’s glory while thinking happy utopic thoughts and clinging to our possessions.  Tragically, we begin to believe that this world is all that there is to life.

On the other hand, many times, we Christians correctly recognize that this world is infested with sin with no hope of ever becoming a utopic bliss.  But then, we believe that the new heaven and earth are far on in the distant future.  But this is where we fail; we envision that the new heaven and earth are so far off in the future that right now -  in the present – we don’t have much to live for.  That is to say, we can become depressed in this pilgrimage through this vale of tears.  We turn on the news, hear the sorrows and disasters of the world, shrug our shoulders and say, 

“Figures!  Just another day in paradise, I guess.”

Oh, dear Christians, you do not need to have a delusional hope that mankind can create a utopic bliss in this sinful world. And, you do not have to be given utter depression as you grind your way through this vale of tears, thinking that the new heaven and earth are far off in the distance, out of your reach. No, you do not have to be given to either of these because the blessings of God’s new creation begin right now for you in Christ.  Yes, hear that again: the blessings of the new creation begin right now for you in Christ.  

I am often reminded of a Lutheran Professor who would say, 

“You Christians already have one foot in the resurrection.” 

That is to say; our reading from Isaiah speaks about the great last day when the Lord God will make all things new.  However, that is not the only thing that the Lord God is talking about.  You see, this promise that we hear today in our Old Testament is everlasting.  Sure we do not physically see the new heaven and earth right now, but that does not mean we do not possess it.  The reason why this is so is that when God makes a promise to His dear Saints, they are permanent.  They are sure and secure.  His promises are not a wishful desire or a hypothetical possibility but reality for Christians.  And so, since this promise is genuine, confident, and sure, we can take the promise to the bank and know that the new heaven and earth already belong to us right now as we muddle through this vale of tears.  This promise belongs to us right now because you and I belong to Christ.  

And so, whenever we are tormented and perplexed by the troubles of this world – when we turn on the television or look on the internet to see another calamity spring forth that shows the effects of sin and death in this world, as a Christian, you can arise neither with depression nor with a false hope but instead you can arise with today’s promise of God and your citizenship in Christ’s kingdom and say, 

“My Christ lives.  He makes all things new.  I know of a new heaven and earth where chaos and pain are a thing of the past.  I have joy that there is a new heaven and earth coming – that I am a part of it right now – where the corruption of sin and death are no more.”

Baptized Saints, the promises of God give us confidence in this vale of tears because the promises of God are not some hopeful wishes but reality for the Christian.  And so, you can be confident when you die because you have already died in Christ through the promise and reality of your baptism.  You can be confident in the resurrection because you are already united to Christ’s resurrection and His divine promises.  You can be confident in this vale of tears because you already have the promise of the new heaven and earth.  All of this is possible because Christ is so tightly bound to you that you can know on the last day that the promises made to you will most definitely be fulfilled because they are a reality for you right now.    

In the name of Jesus. Amen.