The text this morning is from John’s revelation, the first chapter:
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! He is risen and He is ascended on high, even so that He can give specific revelation to the Apostle John for our benefit. I don’t know if you realize this, but, Revelation is the book that is most given as an answer when the pastor asks what book of the Bible they want to study next. It’s also the least understood book of the Bible, and thus, the easiest to walk away from. John’s Revelation is difficult. It’s meant to be. It’s written for churches that no longer exist, churches that have died over the centuries. It’s written with imagery that makes no sense. It’s written to people of different cultures. It’s written with John as the main narrator as some points, angels at others, and Jesus at others. It’s bizarre.
And it’s understandable that it’s bizarre. This is what John has received from Jesus, both by the inspiration of the Spirit, and by his being taken into heaven to witness all of these things. How could anyone describe that? It’s like trying to describe an acid trip to sober people. It’s like trying to describe color to a blind man, sound to a deaf man, computers to an ant. You’d have to use analogies, pictures, images, weird descriptions, just to get it down on paper so you could send it out. And the final result is, well, something a little bizarre.
But what John shares with us this morning is simple: it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Revelation doesn’t mean “end things.” It means to make something known to others. And specifically, this book of revelation is making known to us Jesus, the first and the last, the living one. That’s the whole purpose of John’s letter to the churches: to make known the Jesus Christ that has given Himself for all humanity.
So, John begins the passage today writing to the seven churches of Asia, the area we call Turkey today. That means, there were only seven churches that had been planted in Turkey to that point. The Church, even though it’s about 60 years old at this point, is still new. It’s still spreading. And Jesus is going to have a word for each of these churches, but the introduction is for all of them. John makes it clear that this word he is about to share is from the very Jesus whom He saw risen from the dead. Actually, what John writes ties in so closely with the Easter season, for Christ is the firstborn from the dead, and by His blood, we are freed from our sins. What better Easter message is there?
But you see how John approaches the Lord. In the Gospel lesson today, Jesus strikes fear in His Apostles in one of His first resurrection appearances. They don’t know how He got in the room, how He’s doing. But now, having ascended to the right hand of the Father, He still inspires fear, but fear with deep reverence. It’s no longer the fear of not knowing what’s going on, it’s the fear of knowing exactly what’s going on.
This week, we got a call at the church telling us that WE Energies was giving us a half hour to make up the missing payments we had on our bill or they’d shut us off. Apparently, the number the gave was the exact amount of money in our account and it was the exact payment we needed to make. Ellen’s heart started racing: what’s going on, where did our payments go, did we forget something, what am I going to do? Then they said something rather idiotic, that if we got to the ATM in the next two hours and withdrew a bunch of cash, they’d send someone over to pick it up. All of the sudden, Ellen had a different fear: we’re being scammed. She told them to turn off our electricity then and they hung up on her.
The fear of the unknown is wild and chaotic, but the fear of that which is known is ordered and right. John feared Jesus when he first saw Him in the locked room and it was wild and no one knew what was going on. That’s why Jesus told them, “Peace be with you.” But now, 60 years after Jesus ascended, John knows this Jesus well, this risen and ascended Jesus, and he fears Jesus because Jesus is the King of all things, the Almighty. But his fear isn’t chaotic, it’s ordered and worshipful. John falls down on his face at the feet of Jesus and worships the Lord.
Now, Jesus tells him to have no fear, and that’s a good thing. That means, not really that we shouldn’t be afraid, but that we shouldn’t be afraid of the destruction Jesus could and should rain down on us. He is the first and the last. He was before all things, and would be here long after the entire universe if everything were wiped out of existence. He died, and now is alive. The point is, if He were going to take John down, wipe him out, He could. He probably even should, in some ways.
All the churches that Jesus tells John to write to, it’s the same. Most of them are just not up to snuff. And something that’s not up to snuff, it ain’t worth the time. Jesus should just wipe them out. But He doesn’t. In fact, He gives them the opportunity to repent. And this is what He does for His apostles in today’s reading, too. He gives them time to figure out what it is they’re looking for. Are they looking for the gods of safety and security to keep them well, or are they seeking the Risen Lord? Do they want false idols or the true God? Figure it out.
For us, I think it comes down to this: we can and should trust in Jesus and we should want to. We should, though, not confuse trust for the fact that He is the God of heaven and earth and it is right that we fall down before Him in fear and trembling. We should, rightly, figure out that we are great sinners. We should fear God because we know exactly what it is going on. We know that we have sinned against our Lord. We know that He came to take our place on the cross we deserve. We know that He bore the punishment that brought us peace. We know this. We know that He was laid in the tomb. We know that He was raised on the third day. We know all of this and we should both be in awe of the love this God-man has for us and in fear of who we are before a perfect and holy God.
We should be bowing down before God, begging for mercy, but we stride nonchalantly into the place of worship He’s given us. We should be begging not to be struck down, but we take our security in this life for granted. We should be begging for heaven, but we like to follow after the influence of the pit of hell. We so often forget the amazing things our Lord has done, the amazing God He is, and we make ourselves just good enough to get by.
So, be like John. Remember that Jesus is both your friend and your God. He is both kind and He is fearsome. He is both merciful and He is just. He is both the Alpha, your creator, and the Omega, your end. He was dead, and now He is alive forevermore. Bow down and worship your creator, fear Him for you are a sinner, but have no fear for He does love and He shows this to you and gives it to you, for He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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