Introduction
The last Sunday of the year. A full year behind you, with its joys, its unexpected hospital stays, its losses, its weariness, its returns to church after months away. And here the pastor opens the Bible to the very last page: Revelation 22. That is no accident. When you reach the end of a road, it is good to look at where that road leads.
The river of the water of life. The tree of life bearing twelve kinds of fruit, one for each month. The curse lifted. The Lord saying: "I am coming soon." And this final invitation, at the very end of the book: "Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost." (Revelation 22:17)
You may have reached December 28 exhausted. Or grateful. Or both at once. The message of this service is that the end of your year is not a border, it is a door. And on the other side of that door stands a tree: Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. (Revelation 22:14)
Outline of the sermon
1. The river, the tree, the city: what awaits us
John sees a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of the street, on either side of the river, stands a tree of life bearing twelve kinds of fruit, one each month. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse. No more night. The Lord God will give them light.
This is not the scenery of a fairy tale. It is the concrete promise of the place toward which the redeemed have been walking since Genesis. The tree of life, remember, already appeared in chapter 2 of the first book of the Bible. It had been placed out of reach after the fall. And now, at the end of the last book, access is opened again. The whole story of the Bible fits inside that arc.
2. Who has the right to enter? The central question of verse 14
"Blessed are those who wash their robes." There are the guests. But who exactly are they? The pastor asks us to place a bookmark in Revelation 22 and go back to chapter 7, verses 9 to 14. It is the counterpart of our verse.
There John sees a vast crowd that no one can count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They stand before the throne, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. And one of the elders explains: "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14)
There is the answer. Those who wash their robes are not the perfect ones. They are the ones who brought their soiled clothes to the cross. The ones who let the blood of Jesus do what their own efforts never could: make white what was stained.
3. Faith held fast in the middle of trial
The pastor looks at his congregation that Sunday and thinks of each one. Hospital stays. Accidents. Shocks within families, friendships, the church. The "why does this happen, even though I am a Christian?"
And yet, he says, you did not let go of Jesus. You could not let go of him. You told yourself "I am weak," and the Lord answered you: no, you are not weak, you are being held. Continuing to come before the cross, letting the blood of the Lamb make your heart white, that is already victory. The Lord says to you what he said to the servant in the parable: "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master."
4. The return of the prodigal
There is also this other case. Years have passed since you last came back to church. The name of Jesus had not left your lips in three days, six months, ten years. And this year, something happened. You came back. You started singing again.
The pastor insists: the Lord rejoices over this. Because sin, at its root, is not first a list of wrongdoings. Sin, biblically, is turning your back on God, drifting away from his heart. And turning back toward him, even once, is already joy in heaven. The question is never "how long were you away?" but "have you come back?"
5. Two voices saying "Come!"
"The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost." (Revelation 22:17)
This is the very last invitation of the Bible. Two voices carry it: the Spirit and the Bride, that is, the Church. The Holy Spirit himself whispers "Come" into hearts. And the Church, this Sunday again, repeats that same word. And it is now your turn to take it up, saying "Come" to those who are still far away.
"Without cost." That is the word that settles everything. The water of life cannot be earned. It is received.
Key takeaways
- The Bible begins with the tree of life (Genesis 2) and ends with the tree of life (Revelation 22). The whole story of salvation fits within that restored access.
- "Washing your robe" is not a spiritual achievement: it means bringing your stains to the blood of the Lamb, again and again.
- Making it through a hard year without letting go of Jesus is already a victory in the Lord's eyes.
- Sin, at bottom, is turning your back on God. Turning back toward him is already joy in heaven.
- The Bible's final invitation is a command to welcome: come, and tell others "Come."
Personal application
- Looking back on the year that is ending, when did you sense that Jesus was holding you even when you could no longer hold on?
- Is there a stain in your life that you have not yet brought to the cross, something you keep trying to wash yourself?
- Are you in the process of returning to God after a season of distance? How can you mark that return concretely this week?
- Who around you is the Spirit prompting you to say "Come" to before the year ends?
- Which fruit of the tree of life are you longing for most in the world to come: healing, reconciliation, rest, the presence of God?
Scriptures cited
- Revelation 22:1-17 (LSG) · The river and the tree of life, "I am coming soon," "Let the one who is thirsty come."
- Revelation 7:9-14 (LSG) · The great crowd in white robes, washed in the blood of the Lamb.
- Genesis 2 (LSG) · The tree of life at the beginning.
- Matthew 25:21 (LSG) · "Well done, good and faithful servant."
FAQ
What does "washing your robe" actually mean?
It means coming to Jesus just as you are, admitting that you cannot make yourself pure on your own, and letting his death on the cross cover what you have done and what you are. It is not a religious performance: it is a movement of the heart, to be repeated as often as needed.
If I have been away from church for a long time, can I really come back?
Yes. The parable of the prodigal son and the way this service ends say the same thing: the Father runs to meet the one who returns. What you think is too late, God calls "right on time."
Why has this year been so hard when I am a Christian?
The Bible nowhere promises a life free of trouble. It promises a presence that holds you in the middle of it, and a destination where every tear will be wiped away. The white robe of Revelation 7 is worn precisely by those who come out of "the great tribulation": not those who escaped it, but those who came through it holding on to Jesus.
to take notes and ask questions.