Eastertide
April 14, 2016

Scripture Reading: Revelation 7:9-17

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’
And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, singing,
‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’ –Revelation 7:9-12

Is it our great desire to stand among peoples from every nation tribe and language in communal worship of God? It appears that is God’s great desire. Our actions would indicate that it is not ours. We may be willing to stand before God together with all people when and if they finally learn to conform to our ways of being and doing and faith, but the scripture does not say that. We may be willing to stand before God together with all people as long as we have the best spots to stand. But the scriptures do not say that either. The scriptures say we are to be willing to give up our box seats for the standing room only in the nose bleed section.

Of course as hard as it is for any of us to step out of our self-centered definitions of what is truth about God, if we let them go, we might find it joyous to discovered that all the seats in God’s kingdom are front row, that the joining of all cultures adds flavor and spice to our lives, and that the Body of Christ truly does have many members with differing gifts and all are vital to the world. It is at this point of understanding that we can in one voice, even speaking many languages, sing together.

Prayer: Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.