Revelation 7:13-17 A Life of Worship

 

Observation: John is shown a vision of martyrs. Even by the first century, Christians have already been through a "great ordeal," like the text says. They have suffered a lot of pain, heartbreak, and many have given up their lives for their faith. The angel says that these people will no longer hunger or thirst, and their tears will be wiped away. But what catches my eye most is that they "worship him day and night in his temple." 

Application: Based on Revelation, I've heard it said before that Heaven is "like being in a worship service all the time." If you were to ask me when I was young, and probably my kids now, if a never-ending worship service sounds like heaven, the answer would likely be "not exactly."

No matter what your congregation's worship looks like, whether it's a tried-and-true liturgy that serves as an anchor in chaotic times, or a free, lively emotional release, whether your pastor preaches with stories, engaging Bible lessons, visual illustrations, or anything else, let's be honest:  it's hard to imagine a heaven where you are stuck in that mode for all eternity. So what should we make of the idea that the saints "worship him day and night", all the time? 

What I get from this is that in the life to come, the line between daily life and worship will disappear, just as the line between heaven and earth dissolves in the presence of Jesus, the Lamb of God. Even now, we worship with the hope that it will inspire our daily activities, even the boring ones, to be acts of worship. When the veil has been lifted, this will come naturally. We will always be at worship, because we will always be aware of the endless love and mercy that surrounds us and all creation, even now. Worship as we know it isn't a break from reality. It's a time to reground ourselves in God's reality, which is different from the world of illusion in which we labor now. In the life to come, we will be living in the real world, all the time, for the first time. I can't wait...but then, in a manner of speaking, we don't have to. 

Prayer: God, let my life be an act of worship. Let our times of worship center our lives. Amen.  

Observation: Two things jump out at me about this reading. The first is the acknowledgement in v 13 "Other lords have beside you have ruled over us, but we acknowledge your name alone." The second is the stark reality of our mortality and death in v 14: "The dead do not live; shades do not rise..."

Application: As I read the books of the Bible, and study the history of the people God inspired to write them, a few strange conclusions come to mind. One is that there was a whole lot of evolution in thought as to what happens to you after you die. Much of the Old Testament seems to say what Isaiah says here: nothing. Later books in the Hebrew Bible, and certainly once you reach the New Testament, have more to say on the matter. But one thing that hasn't changed is the guarantee: God is faithful, and worthy of our worship and praise. No matter who claims to be in charge, our faith and hope remain in God. 

I used to be very confident, almost doctrinaire, about exactly what happens after we die, based on the witness of the New Testament. (And by the way, the picture it paints is QUITE different from what most Christians picture, but that's neither here nor there.) I feel I've been humbled over the years. My best answer now is, "I don't know. But God does. And God is trustworthy, and good, and loves us more than we can imagine." I think that's good enough for now. 

Prayer: God, help us to trust in you through this life and beyond. May your kingdom come among us, both in our lives and communities, and, on your timing, in its fullness in this world. In Jesus' name, amen.  

 

Daniel 6:1-28 Faith From the Lion's Den

 

Observation: Darius the Persian King is amazed by Daniel's faithfulness, and by God's goodness. Even though Darius was tricked into passing a law that made it illegal to pray to anyone but himself--a law which Daniel, a faithful Jew, broke by praying to God three times a day--God has shut the mouths of the lions in the cave where Daniel was forced to spend the night. Because of Daniel's faith, the whole world hears from Darius about God. 

Application: I needed to hear this passage today, because it reminds me that our faith shines through the strongest when life is the hardest. We may not always feel very brave in our Christian witness, or confident that God is with us through thick and thin, but the fact is, God can show the world a whole lot through our lives, when we just take it one day at a time, and do the next right thing. Faith in God got Daniel into the lion's den, but it also got him out. 

Prayer: God, help me be faithful like Daniel, one day at a time. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 Behold, I Tell you a Mystery

 

Observation: Near the end of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul is kind of doing a "Q&A session," and he devotes an entire chapter to sharing his understanding of Jesus' resurrection and its importance for us. He begins by recounting the many witnesses to the Risen Christ (including at least one story not included in the Gospels!), then  goes on to share how vitally important these accounts are to the faith of Christians. Finally, in this paragraph, Paul shares his belief about what kind of life awaits believers in Christ. It will not be exactly the same as earthly life, but it is real, and eternal, and a deep mystery. At the end of time, "we will not all die, but we will all be changed." Our mortal bodies will put on immortality. 

Application: Sometimes I'm just without words as I approach such an awesome and mysterious concept as the resurrection of the dead. I need to sit with them, and let them sink into my mind and heart, and let them become a part of my consciousness, before I try to break them down into ideas or concepts to digest. What happens to us after we die continues to be a great mystery. We can certainly slice and dice various pieces of scripture and try to fit them into a collage that may give us some picture of what it will look like. But I don't think we need to. Even Paul, who saw the Risen Jesus himself, and devoted his life to making sense of him, in the end just found himself singing an old familiar hymn: "Death where is your sting?" 

What we know is that Jesus is alive, and that he has promised to bring us into new life too. For now, that's enough. 

Prayer: Jesus, thank your for the deep mystery of your resurrection. May it change us, even as we live, so that we may share your hope. Amen.