Thoughts for the Day

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice,

‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honour and glory and blessing!’

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honour and glory and might
for ever and ever!’

And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the elders fell down and worshipped.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The world has forgotten Easter but we Christians are still celebrating the Resurrection for a full 50 days, and today, the Third Sunday of Easter, gives us a reading from the last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation. Written in Koine Greek* The title comes from the first word of the text, apokalypsis, meaning 'unveiling' or 'revelation'. Early Christian writing was often fervently apocalyptic looking at the 'Second Coming of Christ' who would preside over the 'Last Judgement' and the end of the world. This kind of writing appears in the Gospels (eg Matthew 24-25), in the book of Danie, and of course in the Book of Revelation. Many of us will find this book, with its prophetic and symbolic visions, not an easy read, but it is noticeable that in today's passage despite being written at a time of great persecution, there is no mention of judgement or of Hell. Instead we have a beautiful image of Christ as the wounded but triumphant lamb being worshipped in Heaven.

We might expect the Christ, the one who redeemed humanity, to be shown as a lion, a strong, majestic creature, but his image is a little lamb, all bloodied and scarred. He is the very image of humility, and of sacrificial love. For Christians, this is Jesus, who was crucified for us, taking the payment for our sin on himself to reunite us with God. In this scene we see that God's final act is to bring all creatures, on land and in the sea, and all humanity together. Here we see that God brings the broken, the lost, and the wounded, to join the throng around the throne, for we are never too broken for healing.

The song they sing is one of joy. The Lamb who was slaughtered has "received power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!" And all will shout "Amen!" that is, "So be it!"

* Koine Greek is Greek used in the Roman Empire during the 1st century.

Almighty God,
we praise You,
we bless You,
we glorify You,
we give You thanks
for Your great glory.
May we never forget
that You are the ruler
of our world and that You
care for all Your creatures
and especially us, Your children.
We thank You for the Redeeming work
of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
and ask that are worthy of His
actions to offer us eternal life.
Amen.