The Vine: October 28, 2026
Our fresh take on The Vine, a devotional based on the upcoming Sunday’s sermon. This is a tool for you to dive deep into specific verses of scripture and get acquainted with spiritual practices. This iteration of The Vine pairs perfectly with the pastors’ “First Glance Podcast.” The Vine: First Glance Podcast is when the pastors sit down to discuss the scripture for the upcoming sermon. It is a wonderful opportunity to prepare your mind and heart for the week ahead. We invite you to make this a part of your individual spiritual growth throughout the week.
“And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’”
Revelation 21:5
We often speak of a loved one's death as “going up to heaven.” We picture a traveler finally arriving at the home that, as St. John records in his Gospel, Jesus has prepared for us (John 14). It is a comforting picture, and a true one, but it is not the whole picture.
In Revelation 21, the same St. John shows us more. He does not see the saints going up—he sees the holy city coming down. A new heaven and a new earth appear, and a voice announces, “See, the home of God is among mortals.” God does not remain far away. God comes to dwell with us.
Then comes the promise: “I am making all things new.” Notice that God does not say, “I am making all new things.” God is not scrapping creation and starting over but renewing what he made and called good. John Wesley preached on this verse in his sermon The New Creation. N. T. Wright, in Surprised by Hope, echoes Wesley’s message by reminding us that our final hope is not escaping earth for heaven but heaven coming to earth. God does not abandon his creation—God redeems it.
This Sunday is All Saints Sunday. We will remember those we have lost, give thanks for their lives, grieve their absence, and entrust them to God’s care. And we will hold to the promise that death does not have the last word. Resurrection does. The saints we remember are safe in God’s love, and along with all creation, they await the day God makes all things new.
Our Wesleyan tradition reminds us that this renewal has already begun. Through grace, God is renewing our hearts, mending our relationships, and teaching us to love as Christ loves. The new creation is not only a future promise. By God's grace, it is already beginning in us and around us.
So as we remember the saints who have gone before us, may the words from Charles Wesley’s hymn, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” be our prayer:
Finish, then, thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee.
Spiritual Practice: Remembering
Write down the names of three saints who shaped your faith. Pray each name aloud, thanking God for one specific way that person showed you the love of Christ.
One Thing: encourage a living saint
Think of someone who is still shaping your faith. Write a note thanking them for the ways they have helped you see Christ more clearly.
Questions for Consideration:
1. How does John's vision of heaven coming to earth change the way you think about eternal life?
2. Charles Wesley prayed, “Finish, then, thy new creation.” Where in your life or in the world do you most long to see God’s renewing grace at work?
3. Who is a saint whose life still shapes yours? What did that person teach you about God's love and faithfulness?
PREVIOUS WEEKS
To view all previous devotions go to https://fumc-rr.org/the-vine