Gathering in the Presence of God - Sermon for Easter 3C (Revelation 5)
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| Auftraggeber: Otto III. oder Heinrich II. – Bamberger Apokalypse Folio 13 verso, Bamberg, Staatsbibliothek, MS A. II. 42, Public Domain, |
The Book of Revelation represents what is known as apocalyptic literature. The word Apocalypse, in the biblical sense, speaks of an unveiling or revelation of something sacred or divine. The Book of Revelation, which is filled with rather strange imagery that is difficult to decode, requires us to use our holy imaginations. If we do this, then perhaps we can begin to unpack the imagery we find here in chapter 5 of the Book of Revelation. Chapters 4 and 5 depict a heavenly worship service. Here in Chapter 5, the focus is on the Slaughtered Lamb.
The author of the Book of Revelation is a man named John of Patmos. He writes a letter to a group of churches in what is now Turkey. These churches were struggling to navigate significant challenges. They faced persecution and even martyrdom. John writes this letter to encourage the members of these churches to remain faithful amid persecution and cultural enticements.
It’s important that we remember that the recipients of this letter lived in a world that embraced many different gods, including the Roman emperor. The Roman government didn’t care what people believed or which temple they frequented as long as they gave their allegiance to the empire by worshiping the emperor. All you had to do was go to the imperial temple and burn some incense to honor the divinity of the emperor. This was a problem for Christians because if Jesus is Lord, Caesar is not.
In our reading this morning from the fifth chapter of Revelation, John of Patmos reminds us that we have been called to worship the God revealed to us in the person of Jesus, who takes on the form of the slaughtered Lamb. Although our reading begins in verse 11, we need to step back a few verses so we can better understand what is going on. Chapter 5 begins by pointing our attention to the one sitting on the throne of heaven holding a scroll with seven seals. An angel raises a question: Who is worthy to open the seven seals on this scroll that is going to reveal God’s plans for creation? The one who is declared worthy is the slaughtered Lamb. Then the heavenly host begins to sing a song of praise to this Lamb who is worthy to open the seals because he had ransomed the saints from every tribe, language, people, and nation, with his blood, making them a kingdom of priests called to serve God (Rev. 5:1-10).
Beginning in Chapter 4, John of Patmos introduces us to the heavenly realm so we can join with the heavenly host in worship first of God who sits on the throne and then in chapter 5, the Lamb who stands in the midst of the twenty-four Elders, who represent the people of God, along with the Four Living Beasts and the myriad of angels. Everyone in the room begins to sing with a full voice praises to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb.
Now, if you’ve ever wanted to sing in a choir, this is the choir to be in. It’s even more impressive than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They sing a song that might be familiar if you know Handel’s Messiah. I don’t know if they’re using Handel’s arrangement, though that would be my preference, but Handel got the words for this chorus from our reading. So, using Handel’s wording, which draws from the King James Version, we sing:
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain,
and hath redeemed us to God by His blood
To receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honour,
and glory, and blessing
Blessing and honour, glory and power,
be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb. For ever and ever.
And as this heavenly hymn comes to a close, the Four Living Creatures shout their “Amen. ” Then the elders fall down before the Lamb in worship. That’s our cue to do the same.
What a grand scene this is. In fact, the choir is even bigger than we might first suspect because John tells us that every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea joins together with this heavenly choir singing praise to the “one seated on the throne and to the Lamb.”
You might be wondering why John uses the image of the Lamb in this reading. One reason is that in the sacrificial system of ancient Judaism, Lambs were offered up during Passover to remember God’s deliverance of the people from bondage in Egypt. Here, in the Book of Revelation, Jesus is the Lamb of God who was slaughtered to redeem or ransom the people of God so they might be incorporated into God’s realm.
John’s use of the Lamb to describe Jesus is a helpful word to us as we navigate a world that values power. The more lethal the power, the better. It’s interesting that in Chapter 5, the Lion of Judah gives way to the Lamb. The Lion represents overwhelming power, while the lamb is usually the prey. However, here in the Book of Revelation, we’re told that the one who is worthy to receive honor and glory and blessing is the Lamb, not the Lion.
Greg Stevenson, who teaches Bible up the road at Rochester Christian University, wrote a commentary on the Book of Revelation that he titled The Slaughtered Lamb. Greg writes about the Lion of Judah who becomes the Lamb of God:
It is an image testifying that Christian victory is not found in worldly power structures or in economic security. Christian victory is found in embodying the pattern of the Christ. God's plan for his creation involves a slaughtered Lamb. And all who would follow this Lamb must achieve victory not through violent resistance or force, not through compromise with the enemy, but through faithful witness, knowing that such witness has the appearance of weakness within the kingdom of the world [Stevenson, A Slaughtered Lamb, p. 135].
As we ponder John’s use of the imagery of the Lamb that was slain using our spiritual imaginations, we need to remember that to people living in the Roman Empire during the First Century, the cross had unwelcome connotations. The cross was a very humiliating and painful mode of execution. This is why Paul told the Corinthian church that “the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).
Yet, here is Jesus, the slaughtered Lamb, whom the heavenly host has declared to be worthy of honor and glory. In making this point, John joins Paul and Jesus in turning upside down the way we think of power. Just to be clear, the Lamb of God who was slain is alive, reminding us that the Christian message includes the cross and the resurrection. There is Good Friday and there is Easter. While we live in the post-Easter world, the full picture of God’s realm has yet to be revealed. John gives us a glimpse, but only a glimpse,e using some rather odd language. Nevertheless, the slaughtered Lamb has won the victory by ransoming the saints of God through his blood.
John wrote this letter to encourage his fellow Christians to stand firm in their allegiance to the Lamb who was slain and yet lives. The question is, will we stand firm in our allegiance to the Lamb who resides in the heavenly realm? Like these First Century Christians, we face competing claims of allegiance. Our world is filled with idols, each calling out to us, enticing us to walk away from the path Jesus set before us and follow a different path, one that promises power and glory, but at a price. The choice is ours.
The path that the Lamb of God sets before us isn’t an easy one. The Book of Revelation stands as a witness to the challenges faced by the saints of God, many of whom died for their faith. Rome had much to offer those who were willing to give their full allegiance to the empire. After all, it had a mighty army that ruled the Mediterranean world. It offered many benefits that included good roads and modern infrastructure, including aqueducts that carried clean water to the cities. All you needed to do to enjoy these blessings was pledge your allegiance to the emperor by burning a little incense in his temple. Everything will be okay as long as you don’t question the emperor’s authority. John responded to Rome’s enticing offer by describing a very different form of power. In inviting us to join the heavenly chorus in singing “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain,” he reveals to us that God’s realm is not like the kingdoms of this world.
Although we are not singing “Worthy is the Lamb” this morning, in a moment we will recite together the Lord’s Prayer. This prayer, I believe, serves as our pledge of ultimate allegiance to God and God’s realm. As we recite this prayer, we commit ourselves to pursuing the will of God on earth as in heaven. This allegiance supersedes all other forms of allegiance, including allegiance to our nation.
As we gather in God’s presence to worship, we pledge our allegiance to the one sitting on the throne of heaven and to the Lamb who was slain, the one who has received blessings, honor, glory, and power, forever and ever. Amen!
Preached by:
Dr. Robert D. Cornwall
Pulpit Supply
First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)
Troy, Michigan
May 4, 2025
Easter 3C
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