Locations
Families can follow along using the Jesus Storybook Bible on page 342, “A Dream of Heaven.”
Have you ever experienced the “Post Christmas Blues?” For many of us, the excitement of Christmas begins the moment November arrives. We spend time, money, and energy preparing for the best Christmas possible. Maybe Christmas Day was everything you dreamed of, with perfect moments, perfect gifts, and perfect meals. Perhaps you even took part in an Advent tradition that prepared your heart for the joy of Christmas—the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth. Yet the day after Christmas can bring a sense of melancholy. The day we eagerly anticipated is over, and now we face months of cold, grey winter. What could we possibly look forward to next?
Imagine the Apostle John writing Revelation while exiled on an island. John had witnessed Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection firsthand. He was called “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 20:2) and watched Jesus ascend into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). John had seen God’s promises fulfilled through the Messiah, yet he found himself isolated, imprisoned, and unable to share the Gospel freely.
Like John, we have received the greatest gift in Christ, yet we live in this in-between. In Revelation 21:1-5, God gives John a vision of what is still to come: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride for her new husband” (Rev. 21:1-2). The greatest promise of Christmas is not just the past—it’s ahead. We are promised an eternal home, a redeemed earth, no more tears, pain, or death, and best of all, eternal life with King Jesus.
In the New Kingdom, there will be no “Post Christmas Blues.” Our hearts’ deepest longings will be fulfilled through the restoration of a perfect union with Christ. So today, as we wait for the New Kingdom, let us find hope in joy of what is to come.
After the excitement of Christmas fades, many of us feel a quiet emptiness settle in. But like John, who received a vision of what is still to come, we’re reminded that our deepest joy isn’t found in a single day but in the promise of Christ’s return. True hope rests not in what has passed, but in the future God is preparing: a new heaven, a new earth, and life forever with Jesus. As we wait, we can find joy in knowing the best is still ahead.
Pray back God’s word as a family:
Parent: God will make everything new!
Kids: God will make everything new! (stretch arms wide, spin around)
Parent: He will wipe away each tear.
Kids: He will wipe away each tear! (pretend to wipe eyes)
Parent: No more sadness, no more pain!
Kids: No more sadness, no more pain! (shake head ‘no’ and smile)
Parent: Jesus is with us forever!
Kids: Jesus is with us forever! (point up, then hug self)
Parent: Jesus is the Beginning and the End!
Kids: Jesus is the Beginning and the End! (make a big circle with arms)
Parent: Thank You, God, for this happy promise!
Kids: Thank You, God, for this happy promise! (clap hands and cheer)
