Pentecost 4 year C
Worthy is the Lamb. [pause]
And in John’s vision…
ten thousand… times ten thousand… angels sing
ten thousand… times ten thousand… angels sing
You’re worthy to take
the scroll… and open its seals,
because you were slain and with your blood…
you purchased for God people from every language tribe and nation. [pause]
because you were slain and with your blood…
you purchased for God people from every language tribe and nation. [pause]
Who is worthy… to break open the seven seals …
the seven prophesies?
Who is worthy to reveal God’s purposes to the world?
the seven prophesies?
Who is worthy to reveal God’s purposes to the world?
Only one…
only the Lamb…only the Lamb of God…[pause]
In our series on the book of
Revelation…we begin today with the
answer to my final question…
how can we know… anything about God at all?
how can we know… anything about God at all?
Answer? Only through
God’s self-revelation to us.
God breathed revelation…through vision and scripture and prophesy…revelation
confirmed by the mission and traditions of the church… and one more…
through personal encounter… with the one
who was and is… the ultimate and complete revelation
of God… and of God’s purposes…Jesus Christ.
through personal encounter… with the one
who was and is… the ultimate and complete revelation
of God… and of God’s purposes…Jesus Christ.
Earlier this week as I reflected
on the scripture for this morning…I had a revelation…
I’ve tried to find images… to help you imagine
what I saw in my mind’s eye….
I’ve tried to find images… to help you imagine
what I saw in my mind’s eye….
Reg and I were sharing our time of
devotions after breakfast…
Cross slide
Suddenly… something we read or
prayed…
triggered in me an image of Christ on the Cross…
triggered in me an image of Christ on the Cross…
Jesus was speaking his final words…Father forgive them for they don’t know
what they’re doing.
Sunburst slide
And then wham…
I had a burst of adrenalin …as I realised
that very moment… in the history of the universe
was the moment…
when God’s purposes were revealed… once and for all by the lamb of God. A revelation of God…
and God’s judgement…which can never ever be undone.
God’s judgment…is forgiveness.
I had a burst of adrenalin …as I realised
that very moment… in the history of the universe
was the moment…
when God’s purposes were revealed… once and for all by the lamb of God. A revelation of God…
and God’s judgement…which can never ever be undone.
God’s judgment…is forgiveness.
Worthy is the Lamb…of…God…
to reveal the purposes of God…
to reveal the purposes of God…
Vision
slide
But today in our series on the book of Revelation… we’re still looking through John’s eyes…not mine
We’re looking at John’s vision…of the throne room of God…the creator of the universe…given him in exile on the Island of Patmos…a vision given for him to share…a vision of hope for early Christian…about to face pain and persecution
We’re looking at John’s vision…of the throne room of God…the creator of the universe…given him in exile on the Island of Patmos…a vision given for him to share…a vision of hope for early Christian…about to face pain and persecution
And we learned last week…
that God’s divine dimension…revealed this way to John is not a vision of where we go when we die…
nor merely a beautiful hallucination…
to bring us to our knees in awe…
This vision is going
somewhere…
there’s a project underway. There’s work to be done.
there’s a project underway. There’s work to be done.
In particular… the work of rescuing creation
from the deadly dangers…that have taken root within it. There’s work to be done… to over throw the forces
that are out to destroy… the very handiwork of God.
It will be a terrible task and God’s people may well shrink from it…because we know we’ve made it worse
by being part of the problem.
from the deadly dangers…that have taken root within it. There’s work to be done… to over throw the forces
that are out to destroy… the very handiwork of God.
It will be a terrible task and God’s people may well shrink from it…because we know we’ve made it worse
by being part of the problem.
Like our world…John’s is full of movements and systems and philosophies and religions…
that ignore and abuse creation…God’s beautiful good creation…dismissing creation and creatures as irrelevant to the so called spiritual life…
some even denigrate creation…as a nasty, dark
and dangerous place…full of evil and death.
that ignore and abuse creation…God’s beautiful good creation…dismissing creation and creatures as irrelevant to the so called spiritual life…
some even denigrate creation…as a nasty, dark
and dangerous place…full of evil and death.
As well… the world is full of people who worship the world…instead
of worshipping its Creator. People
who worship money… or sex …or power
and war…
My favourite biblical scholar Tom Wright[i]
believes the book of Revelation sets out the delicate but decisive balance of these idolatrous systems. But proclaims for everyone with eyes to see and ears to hear that all creation worships God…
for God alone… is worthy of all praise
believes the book of Revelation sets out the delicate but decisive balance of these idolatrous systems. But proclaims for everyone with eyes to see and ears to hear that all creation worships God…
for God alone… is worthy of all praise
And here in John’s vision…
God holds the scroll of God’s purposes…like an architect about to renovate a building
God holds the scroll of God’s purposes…like an architect about to renovate a building
and John hears a strong angel’s voice announcing
slide
words
Does anyone deserve to open the scroll…or undo its seals
Is there anybody out there…who hasn’t contributed to the problem… under which creation groans. [pause]
Is there anybody out there…who hasn’t contributed to the problem… under which creation groans. [pause]
John knows the answer…John bursts into tears
and tells us
and tells us
Slide
words
‘And nobody in heaven and on earth
or under the earth could open the scroll or look at it…
God’s creation is good…God’s
purposes for creation are good. And from the book of Genesis…
we read God’s stewardship of creation… is to be carried out by human creatures…
God puts together a covenant people to tell the world about this…but instead we wanted to play God…
Now human creatures are part of the problem…
and no one can be found who is worthy to open the scroll of God’s purposes…
we read God’s stewardship of creation… is to be carried out by human creatures…
God puts together a covenant people to tell the world about this…but instead we wanted to play God…
Now human creatures are part of the problem…
and no one can be found who is worthy to open the scroll of God’s purposes…
It’s as though all of human history… is caught up John’s vision and
John is shattered.
But we find…already God’s promise to wipe away every tear… has begun…
one Elder in John’s vision comforts him…
one Elder in John’s vision comforts him…
Slide
words
Don’t cry…Look the lion of Judah,
the Root of David has won the victory! He
can open the scroll with its seven seals. [pause]
And instead of a lion…
John sees…
Blank
slide
a lamb…the Lamb of God. [pause]
The Messiah. Only he can open the scroll…
and he’s already won the victory. [pause]
and he’s already won the victory. [pause]
Worthy is
the lamb slide
Now comes what Tom Wright calls…
one of the most decisive moments in all of scripture Did you notice…what John has heard is the announcement of the lion…
what he sees is a lamb.
The lion…a symbol of ultimate power…
the lamb…a symbol of gentleness and vulnerability sacrificed and yielding in weakness… to death…
one of the most decisive moments in all of scripture Did you notice…what John has heard is the announcement of the lion…
what he sees is a lamb.
The lion…a symbol of ultimate power…
the lamb…a symbol of gentleness and vulnerability sacrificed and yielding in weakness… to death…
From this moment on…
John…and we as his careful readers…
are invited to understand…that the victory won by the lion is accomplished through the sacrifice of the lamb
John…and we as his careful readers…
are invited to understand…that the victory won by the lion is accomplished through the sacrifice of the lamb
and in no other way.
But we’re also to understand…
that what’s accomplished by the lamb’s sacrifice…
isn’t merely the wiping away of sin for a few people
here and there…the lamb’s sacrifice is lions victory…
God’s victory over all the forces of corruption and death,
over everything…that would destroy… God’s good Creation.
The lion and the lamb accomplish
it…
Yet down through the centuries…history shows us
plenty of lion-like Christians. Believing yes Jesus died for us …but now God’s will…. is to be done in the lion-like way through brute force and violence…
to make the world come into line… to enforce God’s will.
plenty of lion-like Christians. Believing yes Jesus died for us …but now God’s will…. is to be done in the lion-like way through brute force and violence…
to make the world come into line… to enforce God’s will.
No replies John…think of the lion by all means…
but gaze at the lamb.
but gaze at the lamb.
In the same way… there’ve been
plenty of lamb-like Christians…who
say… yes Jesus may have been the lion of Judah…but that’s a political idea which we should reject… because salvation is about
having our sins wiped away… so we can escape this evil world and go off to
heaven.
No replies John…gaze at the lamb…
but remember it’s the lion’s victory… he’s won.
but remember it’s the lion’s victory… he’s won.
And he is holy… and he is worthy…
and he alone has the right to take the scroll and open it…
and he alone has the right to take the scroll and open it…
To reveal God’s purposes to us.
Let us sing of this as we approach
the table to which the lion and the lamb have invited us.
[i] Once again my gratitude to NT
Wright and his book Revelation for Everyone, Knox Westminster, 2011
