Majesty, Not Monotony

Revelation 4:1-8

In our reading from Revelation this morning the author is escorted into heaven and describes what he sees as he first enters. There is a throne, and the one seated on that throne has the appearance of precious stones, and of light and color. Lightening and thunder cascade from the throne as well. In front of the throne is a sea as calm and bright as crystal. Four living creatures, each in a different form, surround the throne. John tells us, “Day and night without ceasing (the four creatures) sing,

‘Holy, holy, holy,

the Lord God the Almighty,

who was and is and is to come’" (Revelation 4:8).

What a marvelous scene…unless earthly considerations begin to creep into our minds. Is eternity really this cold and sterile? Is everything made of precious stones and constantly lit by flashes of lightening? Is there nothing soft or comfortable to be found? And is there really no break in the singing (or could those four creatures at least pick something else to sing occasionally)? Such concerns are ill-founded, of course. The point of the scene is not the monotony of it all (even grandeur might become tiring after awhile), but the majestic presence of God which John is describing the best way he knows how, with human language and with reference to things that his readers would understand.

I don’t know what to expect in the heavenly court, but I trust it will be nothing of which the human mind could conceive or human words express. Nor should we be focused on what the four creatures are singing “day and night,” only that the praise of God is constant because there is nothing to distract attention from the glory and the majesty. If only our hearts and minds and souls were as focused on God’s glory now as they will be.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live with your praise on our lips and your love in our hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Eternal Reign

Revelation 4:1-11

Our reading from Revelation today continues with John’s experiences. “After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne!” (Revelation 4:1-2). John had been granted a glimpse of heaven where he witnessed the one who reigns there.

In many ways this vision is like that of the prophet Isaiah who centuries before had also been allowed to witness the heavenly court and to overhear the proceedings there (Isaiah 6). Taken together these visions offer a profound sense of comfort to me for they remind me that come what may, there is always one who reigns. Earthly kingdoms come and go. Societies collapse and are replaced. Institutions run their course. Entire cultures rise and fall. These are the ways of humanity within the flow of history. But in the court of heaven there is eternal certainty and everlasting stability.

The Greeks and Romans imagined wars of succession being fought among the gods they worshiped, deities constantly engaged in intrigue. Not so with the people of God. We worship one whose dominion is unquestioned and unwavering. The uncertainty we may feel in this life is countered by the absolute assurance that God is Sovereign and that in God’s time all life will become what God wills it to be.

Prayer: God of eternity, help us to live these days in the knowledge that you alone reign over time and space and that in you all life finds its fulfillment. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

That's a Long Time to Love Anyone

Isaiah 54:1-13

At the beginning of his book, “The Story of Mankind”, Hendrik Willem van Loon offers this illustration:

High up in the North in the land called Svithjod, there stands a rock. It is a hundred miles high and a hundred miles wide. Once every thousand years a little bird comes to this rock to sharpen its beak. When the rock has been worn away, then a single day of eternity will have gone by.

I thought of that story as I pondered our second passage from Isaiah for this morning. There the prophet promises that, “…The mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:10). Even if the process of erosion does not take as long as what van Loon describes, the idea is profound. Longer that it takes for mountains and hills to disappear, that’s how long God promises to love and have compassion for us. And that’s a very long time.

There’s another interesting point here, though. The removal of mountains and hills represents a great deal of change, and change is something that we experience on a regular basis. And though any change can be disconcerting and scary, it does not in any way effect the way that God loves and care for us. We may no longer recognize the neighborhood, but we are safe at home, nonetheless. In a world of change and uncertainty God remains steadfast and faithful for eternity…and longer.

Prayer: Gracious God, help us to embrace your love for us and to share it with one another. Amen.