'Behold' is used 1,298 times in the King James version of the Bible. It is derived from the Greek word 'eido,' which has the literal translation of, be sure to see or don't miss this.
Behold meaning: see or observe, to hold in view, look at.
“Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev. 21:5). Our Lord comforts us in our fear, brings hope to the hopeless, brings new life and purpose out of nothingness, and longs to transform your heart if you give him permission to.
God is making all things new. He is fixing what’s broken and making it better. This doesn’t necessarily say God is making all new things. He is not replacing but restoring. He’s getting rid of the imperfections and making things even better.
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
a. He who sat on the throne said: This is an authoritative announcement, coming from the throne of God itself. This is one of the few times in Revelation where we clearly see God speaking directly from His throne.
b. Behold, I make all things new: This statement is in the present tense, “I am making everything new.” This is the consummation of God’s work of renewal and redemption, having begun here and now in our present time.
Make something new! Provide children with a variety of scrap materials. You might even ask ahead of time to have them bring some in (tubes, boxes, cloth, papers, etc.). Invite kids to get creative and make something new out of the “junk.”
Can you fix it? Start with a little challenge…present Learners with a toy or object that needs fixed. Some toys are meant to come apart and be put back together. If you don’t have one of these, purposely break apart a game, a pen, or a toy, and give it to Learners. Or dump a puzzle on a table. Invite Learners to re-build the items. You might want to make this into a race and have Learners group into teams to see which can fix items faster.
“Make it new art” Have Learners draw a simple picture. Pass pictures to another artist and invite the new illustrator to change the original and make it something new. For extra challenge (or older Learners), encourage the first drawing to be a little sad, and the changed item to be more uplifting.
Book of Revelation (summary)
Our 2024 theme is not so much about creating new things or “starting from scratch” as it is about finding new ways to give meaning to and celebrate what is precious in our Catholic traditions already. This is the work of Recontextualisation.
Recontextualisation:
The 2024 theme speaks strongly of Recontextualisation, i.e. connecting life and faith; placing our Catholic Identity into new contexts and allowing new understandings to emerge. The recontextualisation of Catholic Identity needs to:
- be Catholic
We should see the Catholic perspective in the example AND the example should ask questions of our faith. It needs to have a contemporary context.
- acknowledge and interact with the contemporary context (not ignoring or dismissing it)
- be multi-correlational - Possessing the potential for multiple layers of meaning to arise and being open to multiple meanings and interpretations.
Matthew 9: 17 New wine is not put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; rather new wine is out into fresh wineskins, so both are preserved.
Matthew 13: 52 Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.
Useful Articles
Sharkey Recontextualising”
Brisbane Recontextualisation Summary
Along the Track Joining God in the Neighbourhood 2 29 March 2022
Where are the examples of Recontextualisation in your school? (e.g. in the school grounds, in prayer and liturgy, in classrooms).
Catholic Identity Walk
When was the last time your staff and students participated in a Catholic Identity walk? Focus particularly on the Catholic Identity markers around your school. Are they noticed by passers-by? Is what they represent, understood by members of the community? Is what they represent open to different interpretations?
Scripture: (references to “new things” or “newness”)
You are encouraged to locate each verse in the Bible and read around them
(verses before and after) for context.
Psalm 51: 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Isaiah 43: 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
Isaiah 48: 6 You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forward I make you hear new things, hidden things that you have not known.
Lamentations 3: 22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Ezekiel 36: 26 A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
John 13: 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
Further opportunities to reflect.
Along the Track
We will be able to draw on our 2024 theme throughout the liturgical year, e.g. at Lent and Easter, at Advent and Christmas and at the feast of the Transfiguration. We will also be able to refer to it with the changing of the seasons. The following issues of Along the Track are worth reflecting on.
| The Spring of Hope | 16 March 2021 (imagination) |
| A Better Idea | 3 July 2021 (Good News) |
| Joseph 1 | 14 September 2021 (new ways of living) |
| For Those Going to School | 1 February 2022 (educators, new year) |
| Thank God for the Explorers | 7 June 2022 (new day, creativity) |
| Lessons from the Past | 26 July 2022 (Good News, God’s message) |
| Tis | 6 June 2023 (imagination) |
| Finding the Well | 11 July 2023 (possibilities) |
Music
Behold I Make All Things New – Andrew Chinn
Big Daddy Weave - All Things New
Create in me – Rend collective
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