It has been another sunny day in Athens. I was expecting more clouds after the recent spell of good weather, but it has turned out to be another day that seems alien to what February should be like in my mind. After working at the school this morning due to an upcoming 4 day weekend (yay!), I decided to make the most of the weather and wonder up Lykavittos. In search of a place to sit that was a bit more secluded, eventually I found an amazing spot to sit, read and pray. One of the hardest things about living in a big and noisy city is there are very few spaces you can escape to when you're in need of peace and quiet. I confess growing up in a field (not literally of course) has meant that any more than three houses seems like a small town. Obviously I joke.
Although retreating from the city is a good thing and something I try to do when I can, the Bible reminds me that the new creation, the place where God's people will live forever is not a field. On the day Jesus returns, we will not be taken to a field but a city.
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God...
Revelation 21:10
Sometimes you hear people speak of places where there are no people and spectacular views as 'paradise on earth'. I am probably one of those people. However, the paradise of the new heaven and new earth will be a place full of people praising God for all eternity. As I sat on my secluded spot on the mountain Lykavittos, this thought did not occur to me. Perhaps next time I will thank God that the noise and the size of the city to come will be something to celebrate, rather than something to escape.
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