*Sermon – Gathered Around God’s Throne*
*Rev. Sandy Lacey*
*November 01, 2020 All Saints’ Day*
* As a general rule, I like some Science Fiction and Fantasy books/movies but I do not like the popular Left Behind books/movies because people take them too seriously. After all, they represent only one interpretation of the book of Revelation in the Bible but, in my opinion, this particular interpretation is not helpful and does not reflect the Reformed theology we espouse. It is an interpretation that employs the use of fear to coerce readers into salvation. It comes across as a kind of blue-print prediction for what will happen at the end of time. There are other interpretations of the book of Revelation that are more in line with our Reformed understanding of God and God’s activity in the world. The Left Behind interpretation is captivating, however. You got your zombie apocalypse, deathly spirits, terror chases, breaking bad horror films and scripts all rolled into one! And many of us like a good horror flick or book! Why do you think the Halloween “judgement houses” from some denominations are so popular? The truth is that it’s hard to fault these other religious institutions for their interpretation when the rest of us (in the Reformed faith in particular) aren’t even talking about the book of Revelation. Yes, we might mention it in a Bible study here or there but the book is rarely in our lectionary for preaching on Sunday and frankly, like all apocalyptic Biblical literature, it’s complicated and difficult to wade through. And who wants complicated – we have enough complications in our lives, we think. And so we allow people with a completely different mindset and religious view to hijack the story and make it something it was never intended to be.*
* So what is the book about? It is a letter written to the churches in Asia Minor during the early Christian period of the Roman Empire. And if you remember your history, you remember how challenging it was for many of the early Christians during the Roman rule. They were a misunderstood, much-maligned, and persecuted sect of Judaism at the time. There are accounts of them being placed into arenas and forced to endure wild animal attacks for sport in front of thousands of cheering people. They were arrested and forced to recant their monotheistic belief so that they could worship the Emperor. Horribly, some were even used as torches to light the streets. As a human race, we can be so cruel to people who are different from us. It was a dark and terrifying time for many Christians in this period. And along comes John who writes a letter full of symbolism, encouraging the Christians to hold fast, to not give up hope, to recognize the limits of those who think they have power and authority, and to celebrate/to worship the One who truly does have power and authority. Yes, that is right – the book of Revelation is a letter of encouragement, not a horror show meant to frighten its listeners. John’s hidden meanings, strange visions, and symbolic language was written to seven churches in Asia Minor in order to encourage their faith and faithfulness. In essence, he encourages his readers to look around – it may appear that all is lost and the world is completely fallen; however, appearances can be deceiving. He says the Kingdom of God has begun despite all appearances to the contrary. And those who follow Jesus are citizens of that kingdom, regardless of the circumstance they are currently enduring. God wins, he says. Apocalyptic literature in the Bible is challenging to read because of its symbolism. Apocalyptic means something hidden has been revealed, and many times this literature reveals messages about the current time and about end times.*
* We may not be encountering the same difficulty the early Christians did, thankfully, but we still find it challenging to live our faith in the way God intends. We regularly need encouragement. We need a day to recognize the mistakes we made in the past week, a day to ask forgiveness for them, a day to hear a word or two that reminds us of who we are and to whom we belong, a day to give thanksgiving and praise for our Creator/Redeemer/Sustainer, and a day to imagine our future together. Each week we have such a day, a Resurrection Day to start fresh, start new – no matter what has happened, no matter the circumstance in which we find ourselves – it is a resurrection day and a sing in community day.*
* And even during a pandemic we sing, even when life is challenging, we sing. I find that more than anything else music stirs the soul and evokes memory and mood. I may not remember a single thing that a speaker or preacher says but I will remember the music. And by the way, thanks Rob! And the amazing thing is that people sing in the most difficult circumstance. Singing requires courage and faith. Slaves in our country used to sing in the fields while they labored and watched their loved ones being taken away from them. I have heard stories of prisoners singing. And I have witnessed brain injury patients being able to sing even when they could not talk or comprehend the spoken word. *
* Lift up your hearts and take courage! It is Sunday and when all else fails, sing! Sing even with a mask on your face. Despite the circumstance in which we find ourselves, we are encouraged to gather around God’s throne with the rest of the Saints to sing God’s praise.*
* If we are looking, we see glimpses of God’s new kingdom that Revelation talks about. I see it every time we baptize and declare that child, adolescent, or adult belongs to God and not to the empire or culture around him/her. We also catch a glimpse of God’s new kingdom at this Table where we remember God’s love and Jesus’ great sacrifice to bring us together. And we see a glimpse of God’s new kingdom in the life and ministry of the saints who have gone before us. I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom when I remember Hal Neuhard, especially when I hear big band music playing and I run across pesky items that always need fixing. I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom when I remember John Sponton and his impatience for us to finish updating the kitchen and when I remember the love and care he had for his wife, Jane. I remember God’s hospitality and generosity in his good conversation and offerings of cocktails anytime I visited. And I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom as I remember Dodie Hamilton’s strong will and determination to do what is right and good for the city of Rockledge. And I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom when I remember Jean Smith and her dream of building a family and her spunk in organizing amazing parties. And I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom when I remember Louise Tawney in the wonderful conversations we had and the realization of how much she loved her church. And friends, I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom in you. You, like me, are not perfect, but the good news is that God still works in and through you to accomplish amazing things. Amazing things are accomplished when you compassionately feed hungry people, when you send special cards and notes of encouragement, when you work hard on the budget, when you cook for those who are ill, when you visit those who are in need of your love, or when you work with our children. It is a privilege to serve with you and you lift up my heart and encourage me. You are saints in my book.*
* You may think a saint is someone who is much better or more faithful than you, and there are some pretty amazing saints recorded in history. I think of Perpetua – a young woman thrown in an arena with lions for her faith during the first or second century of Christianity. She was asked to recant her belief in Jesus as the one Lord and be saved from the fate of being in the arena. She refused to do so and her thoughts, beliefs, and actions are chronicled as she met her death.*
* Saints are also ordinary people, like you and me. For me, a saint looks like Cera, a woman I knew a long time ago in a former church. As a parent of young children at the time, I took note when someone made a special effort to reach out to children. She made cookies each week for our midweek program called Logos – her nickname was “the cookie monster.” She sent the children encouraging letters and cards when they did something special in the worship service. She spoke to them anytime she saw them and she sent them birthday cards with a $5 gift each year. When I think of faith and of being faithful, I think of Saint Cera and her kindness and thoughtfulness. Saints are Sunday kind of people. You show up. You sing because you know God’s grace and mercy is bigger than any challenge you might be facing. And on those days that you cannot sing, you rely upon the strength of the saints around you to sing for you. Saints are not perfect, but they keep at it.*
* Saints, there is a place for you at this Table and in this fellowship. Won’t you join us? We are in need of your voice as we stand around God’s throne and sing. AMEN. *
*Rev. Sandy Lacey*
*November 01, 2020 All Saints’ Day*
* As a general rule, I like some Science Fiction and Fantasy books/movies but I do not like the popular Left Behind books/movies because people take them too seriously. After all, they represent only one interpretation of the book of Revelation in the Bible but, in my opinion, this particular interpretation is not helpful and does not reflect the Reformed theology we espouse. It is an interpretation that employs the use of fear to coerce readers into salvation. It comes across as a kind of blue-print prediction for what will happen at the end of time. There are other interpretations of the book of Revelation that are more in line with our Reformed understanding of God and God’s activity in the world. The Left Behind interpretation is captivating, however. You got your zombie apocalypse, deathly spirits, terror chases, breaking bad horror films and scripts all rolled into one! And many of us like a good horror flick or book! Why do you think the Halloween “judgement houses” from some denominations are so popular? The truth is that it’s hard to fault these other religious institutions for their interpretation when the rest of us (in the Reformed faith in particular) aren’t even talking about the book of Revelation. Yes, we might mention it in a Bible study here or there but the book is rarely in our lectionary for preaching on Sunday and frankly, like all apocalyptic Biblical literature, it’s complicated and difficult to wade through. And who wants complicated – we have enough complications in our lives, we think. And so we allow people with a completely different mindset and religious view to hijack the story and make it something it was never intended to be.*
* So what is the book about? It is a letter written to the churches in Asia Minor during the early Christian period of the Roman Empire. And if you remember your history, you remember how challenging it was for many of the early Christians during the Roman rule. They were a misunderstood, much-maligned, and persecuted sect of Judaism at the time. There are accounts of them being placed into arenas and forced to endure wild animal attacks for sport in front of thousands of cheering people. They were arrested and forced to recant their monotheistic belief so that they could worship the Emperor. Horribly, some were even used as torches to light the streets. As a human race, we can be so cruel to people who are different from us. It was a dark and terrifying time for many Christians in this period. And along comes John who writes a letter full of symbolism, encouraging the Christians to hold fast, to not give up hope, to recognize the limits of those who think they have power and authority, and to celebrate/to worship the One who truly does have power and authority. Yes, that is right – the book of Revelation is a letter of encouragement, not a horror show meant to frighten its listeners. John’s hidden meanings, strange visions, and symbolic language was written to seven churches in Asia Minor in order to encourage their faith and faithfulness. In essence, he encourages his readers to look around – it may appear that all is lost and the world is completely fallen; however, appearances can be deceiving. He says the Kingdom of God has begun despite all appearances to the contrary. And those who follow Jesus are citizens of that kingdom, regardless of the circumstance they are currently enduring. God wins, he says. Apocalyptic literature in the Bible is challenging to read because of its symbolism. Apocalyptic means something hidden has been revealed, and many times this literature reveals messages about the current time and about end times.*
* We may not be encountering the same difficulty the early Christians did, thankfully, but we still find it challenging to live our faith in the way God intends. We regularly need encouragement. We need a day to recognize the mistakes we made in the past week, a day to ask forgiveness for them, a day to hear a word or two that reminds us of who we are and to whom we belong, a day to give thanksgiving and praise for our Creator/Redeemer/Sustainer, and a day to imagine our future together. Each week we have such a day, a Resurrection Day to start fresh, start new – no matter what has happened, no matter the circumstance in which we find ourselves – it is a resurrection day and a sing in community day.*
* And even during a pandemic we sing, even when life is challenging, we sing. I find that more than anything else music stirs the soul and evokes memory and mood. I may not remember a single thing that a speaker or preacher says but I will remember the music. And by the way, thanks Rob! And the amazing thing is that people sing in the most difficult circumstance. Singing requires courage and faith. Slaves in our country used to sing in the fields while they labored and watched their loved ones being taken away from them. I have heard stories of prisoners singing. And I have witnessed brain injury patients being able to sing even when they could not talk or comprehend the spoken word. *
* Lift up your hearts and take courage! It is Sunday and when all else fails, sing! Sing even with a mask on your face. Despite the circumstance in which we find ourselves, we are encouraged to gather around God’s throne with the rest of the Saints to sing God’s praise.*
* If we are looking, we see glimpses of God’s new kingdom that Revelation talks about. I see it every time we baptize and declare that child, adolescent, or adult belongs to God and not to the empire or culture around him/her. We also catch a glimpse of God’s new kingdom at this Table where we remember God’s love and Jesus’ great sacrifice to bring us together. And we see a glimpse of God’s new kingdom in the life and ministry of the saints who have gone before us. I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom when I remember Hal Neuhard, especially when I hear big band music playing and I run across pesky items that always need fixing. I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom when I remember John Sponton and his impatience for us to finish updating the kitchen and when I remember the love and care he had for his wife, Jane. I remember God’s hospitality and generosity in his good conversation and offerings of cocktails anytime I visited. And I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom as I remember Dodie Hamilton’s strong will and determination to do what is right and good for the city of Rockledge. And I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom when I remember Jean Smith and her dream of building a family and her spunk in organizing amazing parties. And I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom when I remember Louise Tawney in the wonderful conversations we had and the realization of how much she loved her church. And friends, I see a glimpse of God’s kingdom in you. You, like me, are not perfect, but the good news is that God still works in and through you to accomplish amazing things. Amazing things are accomplished when you compassionately feed hungry people, when you send special cards and notes of encouragement, when you work hard on the budget, when you cook for those who are ill, when you visit those who are in need of your love, or when you work with our children. It is a privilege to serve with you and you lift up my heart and encourage me. You are saints in my book.*
* You may think a saint is someone who is much better or more faithful than you, and there are some pretty amazing saints recorded in history. I think of Perpetua – a young woman thrown in an arena with lions for her faith during the first or second century of Christianity. She was asked to recant her belief in Jesus as the one Lord and be saved from the fate of being in the arena. She refused to do so and her thoughts, beliefs, and actions are chronicled as she met her death.*
* Saints are also ordinary people, like you and me. For me, a saint looks like Cera, a woman I knew a long time ago in a former church. As a parent of young children at the time, I took note when someone made a special effort to reach out to children. She made cookies each week for our midweek program called Logos – her nickname was “the cookie monster.” She sent the children encouraging letters and cards when they did something special in the worship service. She spoke to them anytime she saw them and she sent them birthday cards with a $5 gift each year. When I think of faith and of being faithful, I think of Saint Cera and her kindness and thoughtfulness. Saints are Sunday kind of people. You show up. You sing because you know God’s grace and mercy is bigger than any challenge you might be facing. And on those days that you cannot sing, you rely upon the strength of the saints around you to sing for you. Saints are not perfect, but they keep at it.*
* Saints, there is a place for you at this Table and in this fellowship. Won’t you join us? We are in need of your voice as we stand around God’s throne and sing. AMEN. *