(Sermon preached on May 14, 2017 based on scripture readings: Revelation 2:1-7 & Revelation 3:1-6 - The Second of a five part Sermon Series)
Have you ever sat and written a long, leisurely letter? Not by email. I’m talking about
taking some writing paper and a pen, settling down at a desk and writing a long letter that takes
days to write. These kinds of letters are becoming more rare. I actually don’t remember the last
time I wrote a letter by hand, except for a short thank you letter. In the days before computers
and even before cars, when mail didn’t go out everyday, when you waited months for
correspondence to arrive, people took their time with letters. They might sit down one day to
write and then come back day after day to add to it. It might be like a journal describing daily
activities, or it might be more like a long story.
In the time of Jesus, correspondence would have been limited to those who could read and write, usually people with some privilege. Most would have been illiterate. Paul, who wrote some of the letters in our Christian bible, would have written letters that were meant to be read to communities. All but one of these letters were written to communities he had previously visited and had preached the good news of Jesus Christ. The letters he sent contained words of encouragement, words of support, and sometimes words of correction and challenge.
The Revelation of John, the final book of the Christian bible, is a letter. We talked last week about how it is part of a genre called apocalyptic literature, but it takes on a dual role as a letter, a letter written to seven different communities, and a letter meant to be read aloud. It would have taken time to read and would have taken lots of time to write, not only for its length but for its complexity. I saw a man on YouTube recently, with a deep booming voice, who had memorized the almost 12,000 words, sharing the letter with an audience. The reading took about 70 minutes. (Watch it on YouTube, start at 33:40.) Remember that this is a time before television and before movies with special effects. People would have sat for hours listening to stories and using their imaginations. Imaginations would have been on overload as they heard the imagery expressed in the Revelation of John. We know it was written to a Jewish audience as it is filled with references to the Hebrew Bible. The letter is written in such a way to provide nuance, multiple meaning, repeated words and phrases, symbols that only insiders would understand, and the use of poetry and hymns for rhythm and ease in it’s reading. This letter was written by a very clever person.
John is the writer. Some think it was the same John who wrote the gospel of John, but the writing is very different, so most now believe it was a different John. It was written late in the first century on the island of Patmos, so the author is usually referred to as John of Patmos. John writes that he was on this island “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” (1:9) Some have come to the conclusion that he was exiled to Patmos, as this island was a penal colony.1 If so, he was probably a person of privilege, as only the elite were exiled, while those of lower-rank were taken care of, like Jesus, through crucifixion. It’s also possible though that John was doing mission work on the island and had been travelling to different communities, similar to the Apostle Paul.
In the time of Jesus, correspondence would have been limited to those who could read and write, usually people with some privilege. Most would have been illiterate. Paul, who wrote some of the letters in our Christian bible, would have written letters that were meant to be read to communities. All but one of these letters were written to communities he had previously visited and had preached the good news of Jesus Christ. The letters he sent contained words of encouragement, words of support, and sometimes words of correction and challenge.
The Revelation of John, the final book of the Christian bible, is a letter. We talked last week about how it is part of a genre called apocalyptic literature, but it takes on a dual role as a letter, a letter written to seven different communities, and a letter meant to be read aloud. It would have taken time to read and would have taken lots of time to write, not only for its length but for its complexity. I saw a man on YouTube recently, with a deep booming voice, who had memorized the almost 12,000 words, sharing the letter with an audience. The reading took about 70 minutes. (Watch it on YouTube, start at 33:40.) Remember that this is a time before television and before movies with special effects. People would have sat for hours listening to stories and using their imaginations. Imaginations would have been on overload as they heard the imagery expressed in the Revelation of John. We know it was written to a Jewish audience as it is filled with references to the Hebrew Bible. The letter is written in such a way to provide nuance, multiple meaning, repeated words and phrases, symbols that only insiders would understand, and the use of poetry and hymns for rhythm and ease in it’s reading. This letter was written by a very clever person.
John is the writer. Some think it was the same John who wrote the gospel of John, but the writing is very different, so most now believe it was a different John. It was written late in the first century on the island of Patmos, so the author is usually referred to as John of Patmos. John writes that he was on this island “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” (1:9) Some have come to the conclusion that he was exiled to Patmos, as this island was a penal colony.1 If so, he was probably a person of privilege, as only the elite were exiled, while those of lower-rank were taken care of, like Jesus, through crucifixion. It’s also possible though that John was doing mission work on the island and had been travelling to different communities, similar to the Apostle Paul.
This particular letter was written to seven named churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The letter would have circulated from community
to community, and, as with most of the letters in our Bible, we are very lucky to have it as there
would have been only one copy, until someone with the skills would have thought to write a
second copy. Each of the seven churches is named and given specific instructions. We heard
two of the shorter ones this morning.
Unlike the letters from Paul, this one was based on a revelation. It’s author would probably say that the words he wrote were not his own. The letter starts with,
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.” (1:1-3)
John has a vision of Jesus as a man clothed in a long robe with white hair and eyes like fire. John writes, “In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.” (1:16)
Theologian N.T. Wright writes, “the Jesus who [John] sees is indeed The Voice, the living Word of the father, the one through whom God spoke and still speaks. And the words which Jesus himself speaks turn into a visible sword coming out of his mouth, echoing Isaiah’s prophecy both about the coming king (11:4) and about the suffering servant (49:2). A great deal of this book is about ideas-made-visible, on the one hand, and scripture-made-real on the other. It is, in fact, the sort of thing someone soaked in scripture might see in a dream, after pondering and praying for may days.”2 These symbols and imagery are woven throughout the Revelation of John, and without being “soaked in scripture” they are nigh on impossible to understand, but that is a topic for another sermon.
This letter has seven named churches. The letters are offered as both encouragement and challenge. In each letter there is an acknowledgement of their circumstances: That they are enduring patiently, some are being slandered and will be imprisoned, others are living where Satan’s throne is, and others have kept the word of Christ and have not denied him. Some of the communities are doing well at staying strong in the midst of those who try to lead them astray and try to get them to go along with local deity worship and customs or worship of the emperor. Some are being accused and persecuted by the local synagogue for their “wickedness.” This letter encourages these new Christ followers to keep up their good work, to stay strong, to persevere.
All but two of the churches though are also offered warnings to repent and change their behaviours. Some are told they are dead and need to wake up. Some are told they are lukewarm, neither hot or cold, maybe too comfortable in their circumstances. Another is told that they are eating food sacrificed to idols and are holding to incorrect teachings or following false prophets. One community is told they have abandoned the love they had at first.
Unlike the letters from Paul, this one was based on a revelation. It’s author would probably say that the words he wrote were not his own. The letter starts with,
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.” (1:1-3)
John has a vision of Jesus as a man clothed in a long robe with white hair and eyes like fire. John writes, “In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.” (1:16)
Theologian N.T. Wright writes, “the Jesus who [John] sees is indeed The Voice, the living Word of the father, the one through whom God spoke and still speaks. And the words which Jesus himself speaks turn into a visible sword coming out of his mouth, echoing Isaiah’s prophecy both about the coming king (11:4) and about the suffering servant (49:2). A great deal of this book is about ideas-made-visible, on the one hand, and scripture-made-real on the other. It is, in fact, the sort of thing someone soaked in scripture might see in a dream, after pondering and praying for may days.”2 These symbols and imagery are woven throughout the Revelation of John, and without being “soaked in scripture” they are nigh on impossible to understand, but that is a topic for another sermon.
This letter has seven named churches. The letters are offered as both encouragement and challenge. In each letter there is an acknowledgement of their circumstances: That they are enduring patiently, some are being slandered and will be imprisoned, others are living where Satan’s throne is, and others have kept the word of Christ and have not denied him. Some of the communities are doing well at staying strong in the midst of those who try to lead them astray and try to get them to go along with local deity worship and customs or worship of the emperor. Some are being accused and persecuted by the local synagogue for their “wickedness.” This letter encourages these new Christ followers to keep up their good work, to stay strong, to persevere.
All but two of the churches though are also offered warnings to repent and change their behaviours. Some are told they are dead and need to wake up. Some are told they are lukewarm, neither hot or cold, maybe too comfortable in their circumstances. Another is told that they are eating food sacrificed to idols and are holding to incorrect teachings or following false prophets. One community is told they have abandoned the love they had at first.
The point though is that all these communities will receive this one letter with this
revelation from John. They will all hear the encouragements. They will all hear the
admonishments. After each letter, it is written: “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the
Spirit is saying to the churches.” Anyone. The seven named churches and all others who will
have this letter read to them, and today, to all those who are still listening, who still have an ear
to listen to what the Spirit is saying. We are also being told to repent, to stay strong, to hold fast
to our faith, to welcome the stranger, to turn away false prophets, to wake up.
And they are encouraged to be conquerors. We hear phrases like, “To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star.” (2:28b) “If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes,” (3:5a)“If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God,” (3:12a) “To the one who conquers I will give you a place with me on the throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (4:21a) What does it mean to be a conqueror and to be a conqueror like Jesus?
How did Jesus conquer? The people were expecting a Messiah that would lead them into battle against their Roman oppressors, who would be a warrior. What the people received was God incarnate, a person who was the expression of the Divine in their midst. What we read in the gospels is that in order to conquer, this man had to give up his life. He suffered and died on a cross but then rose again three days later to show that this ending was only the beginning. Love wins. Love conquers.
In the Revelation of John, we read about Jesus with a two edged sword coming from his mouth. A literal sword or a metaphor for the sharpness of the Word? We later read about Jesus on a white horse going into battle, but again, he does not carry a sword in his hand. We read this “His name is called The Word of God...From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.” Jesus does not conquer through violence, but through the Word, through example, through encouragement and admonishment and through his death and resurrection. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Love wins. Love conquers.
Here are some words of encouragement and challenge from me to you. May you be conquerors. May you share the word and the love of Christ and follow in the way of Christ. May you give of your life to bring peace and justice to this world. May you be strong in your faith. Let no one persuade you to worship idols. May you persevere in a world of greed, hate, consumption, materialism, and violence. May you continue to pray, to welcome the stranger, to love your enemy, and to praise God, the Holy One, who was and is and is to come. May love always win. May it be so. Amen.
1 Howard-Brooks, Wes. “Revelation: Claiming the Victory Jesus Won Over Empire.” The New Testament - Introducing the Way of Discipleship, edited by Howard-Brooks, Wes and Ringe, Sharon H., Orbis Books, 2002, pg 193.
2 Wright, Nicholas Thomas. Revelation: For Everyone. 2011. Westminster John Knox Press. pg 7-8.
And they are encouraged to be conquerors. We hear phrases like, “To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star.” (2:28b) “If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes,” (3:5a)“If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God,” (3:12a) “To the one who conquers I will give you a place with me on the throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (4:21a) What does it mean to be a conqueror and to be a conqueror like Jesus?
How did Jesus conquer? The people were expecting a Messiah that would lead them into battle against their Roman oppressors, who would be a warrior. What the people received was God incarnate, a person who was the expression of the Divine in their midst. What we read in the gospels is that in order to conquer, this man had to give up his life. He suffered and died on a cross but then rose again three days later to show that this ending was only the beginning. Love wins. Love conquers.
In the Revelation of John, we read about Jesus with a two edged sword coming from his mouth. A literal sword or a metaphor for the sharpness of the Word? We later read about Jesus on a white horse going into battle, but again, he does not carry a sword in his hand. We read this “His name is called The Word of God...From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.” Jesus does not conquer through violence, but through the Word, through example, through encouragement and admonishment and through his death and resurrection. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Love wins. Love conquers.
Here are some words of encouragement and challenge from me to you. May you be conquerors. May you share the word and the love of Christ and follow in the way of Christ. May you give of your life to bring peace and justice to this world. May you be strong in your faith. Let no one persuade you to worship idols. May you persevere in a world of greed, hate, consumption, materialism, and violence. May you continue to pray, to welcome the stranger, to love your enemy, and to praise God, the Holy One, who was and is and is to come. May love always win. May it be so. Amen.
1 Howard-Brooks, Wes. “Revelation: Claiming the Victory Jesus Won Over Empire.” The New Testament - Introducing the Way of Discipleship, edited by Howard-Brooks, Wes and Ringe, Sharon H., Orbis Books, 2002, pg 193.
2 Wright, Nicholas Thomas. Revelation: For Everyone. 2011. Westminster John Knox Press. pg 7-8.
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