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Easter 2 - April 18, 2004

This is an ideal opportunity to preach from Revelation which has both been widely misused over the years and also greatly neglected. I am indebted to a small book of five studies by Hans-Ruedi Weber, noted Bible study encourager and also a widely experienced art discoverer from many periods and different countries.

While these studies were prepared for Lenten meditations they are applicable to other periods such as post-Easter.

"The Way of the Lamb" – Christ in the Apocalypse by Hans-Ruedi Weber (Risk Book Series – World Council of Churches publication 1988)

The Book of Revelation: The general facts are well known. The writer, John, was an exile on the Island of Patmos. This island was used by the Romans as a penal colony. John had visions on the Lord’s Day and they were in the context of worship which aids our understanding. He was well aware of young churches and groups of Christians worshipping around the Mediterranean Sea and aware, too, that many of them were facing persecution and consequent doubts about their faith. Is the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and the Resurrection really the decisive victory of God over the powers of darkness and evil? Is new life in Christ for real? And the answer John gives in different ways is a decisive ‘yes’.

Revelation 1: 4-8

These verses are a general greeting to the seven churches in Asia which John will address individually in the next two chapters.

‘Grace and peace’ was a usual formal greeting but the words are much more than formal. Grace can convey an element of graciousness – the manner of someone higher up the social scale greeting someone lower. But this is lacking in John’s case or in Paul’s greetings in his letters, for the overwhelmingly feeling is of gratitude for God’s grace, for God’s love and forgiveness, and that puts us all on an equal footing. This is something we remember in the words of a blessing or the Benediction: ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’. So grace in the greeting has an element of blessing. "God be kind to you" Peace in our general understanding is the absence of war or conflict but the Hebrew word for peace, shalom, which carries over into the New Testament Greek, is a much richer word. It conveys wholeness, harmony and a sense of the fullness of life which Jesus offers in John 10:10. So John begins his greeting to the seven churches. In chapter 2 and 3 he is going to address each church in turn and offer praise and promise, pointing out their strong points as well as their failures or inadequacies.

What follows in these verses is a good example of the use of OT or First Testament references in the book of Revelation. This last book of the Bible is a re-reading of the First Testament in the light of Christ. More than half the verses in Revelation have some reference to texts or concepts. Taking the Jerusalem Bible translation for these verses: From John to the seven churches of Asia: grace and peace to you from him who is, who was and who is to come, from the seven spirits in his presence before his throne and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever, Amen. It is he who is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. This is the truth, Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. (The First Testament references are in italics - The references are to Psalm 89:37, 27; Isaiah 55:4: Exodus 19:6; Daniel 7:13; and Zechariah 12,10,14.)

See what John regards as the essentials of his understanding of God and Jesus.

There is a strong sense of continuity with the past moving through the present and into the future. (Who was, and is, and is to come) The ministry, the total work of Jesus continues. Although a ‘one off’ in time it is part and parcel of God’s continuing work in which Jesus shares. There is a message to the churches that God has made us a line of kings, implying both honour and great responsibility. God is given great glory and called the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end, the Almighty. This is a fitting reminder in this post-Easter period.

All this can be tied to the reading from John 20:19-31 where for John the giving of the Holy Spirit is on Easter night, not seven weeks later as in Acts. There are two incidents in this passage for Thomas misses the first appearance of Jesus and has difficulty believing the witness of those who were there. There is nothing wrong with doubting, Doubts can encourage deeper thought and probing and Thomas is assured through a second appearance, But the story of Thomas is also very relevant in our contemporary society for many people have difficulty in living with mystery or appreciating much of truth which comes not through scientific ‘touch and handle’ kind of proof but through poetry or art or story (which didn’t necessarily happen like that but has great power none-the-less.)

Acts 5:27-32 The background to this story is Peter and John healing many people as they exercised a ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit with the same effect as Jesus’ ministry. This was too much for the Council of leading Jews. They thought they had got rid of the trouble-maker Jesus but here was the same kind of work going on and they were filled with jealousy. The apostles, the main Christian leaders were arrested and put in prison. That’ll get them out of the way, thought the Council. But no, they were not in the prison. An ‘angel of the Lord’ had released them. Angel means messenger so it might have been human agency that released them from behind locked doors. It’s been known to happen. Undeterred they are back teaching openly in the temple courts but on being brought to trial Peter makes another of his speeches about Jesus, managing to convey a strong message in few words very courageously. The central statement ‘we must obey God rather than man’ (or human authority) has been an encouragement to many another down through the ages persecuted for their faith in this same Jesus.

PRAYER

Break through our doubts with the assurance that you are with us, that the Holy Spirit can strengthen us to be your witnesses and give us courage to face the challenges of living as your loyal followers in today’s society.

Help us to hear again the messages of assurance to our Church today to be faithful, to continue the work Jesus showed us, and to live as though it all depended on each one of us and our own efforts but with God’s Spirit and the support of our fellow Christians.