Scripture: Revelation 1:1-19
Dear Church,
A surprising amount of scripture was penned by prisoners. Paul wrote most of his letters while imprisoned. And Revelation, the fiery apocalyptic poem that concludes the Bible, was written by a pastor named John while he was jailed on the isle of Patmos.
Most people think the key to understanding Revelation is decoding ‘when.’ When will the events described occur? How long now? How much more time do we have?
But ‘when’ is the wrong question.
If you want to understand Revelation, the question you have to answer is ‘where.’ Where was it written? Where is Babylon? Where is New Jerusalem? And, most importantly, where will I pledge my allegiance?
Pastor John was in prison for a reason. His seven churches were small and struggling, situated on the margin of the mighty Roman Empire. He and his churches certainly didn’t seem like a threat. But the gospel he preached absolutely was. It exposed the lies and unrighteousness of the powerful. It demanded that disciples swear absolute allegiance to Christ, not Caesar.
The gospel still makes those demands of us.
Which is why we need Revelation–so that we can see beyond what appears to be real to what is true and eternal. John seemed like a weak, old prisoner, condemned to die in obscurity. But he was not powerless or defeated, and he knew it. He knew he had nothing to fear from the most powerful political regime in the world. He knew he was free, despite his chains. He knew that the one who fought for him was greater than the one who fought against him.
He knew how the story ends. He saw the glory of the living Lord. And then he wrote a poem so we could see it too.
I hope you will join us for worship this Sunday as we hear, rejoice and take courage from John’s glorious vision.
Peace,
Pastor Kate
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