April 18, 2010

Worthy Is The Lamb

Psalm 30 read responsively and Revelation 5:11-14

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ April 18, 2010

SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION

Psalm 30 read responsively

The author of this psalm has been through a terrible trial by relying on God’s grace, in praise of God’s answer to prayer we can all say, “I will give thanks to you forever.”

1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.

2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.

3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.

5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”

7 By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.

8 To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication:

9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!”

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Revelation 5:11-14

Some would say it takes a very brave preacher or a very foolish one to preach on the Book of Revelations. After all it is one man’s dream or vision of an encounter with the Holy Other, with God. Bill Loader writes that:

John's vision pictures God in the context of a royal setting, as for many, the greatness of God is best portrayed using such images. God sits on a throne. People bow before the throne. They acclaim God with songs. Power and glory matter most. It is what one might imagine in an eastern royal court transported into the heavenly realm. How do we express awe now? How does one acknowledge the god-ness of God? Some might do so with color; others with images taken from nature; others with experiences drawn from intimacy and love. Here we have the most common: the imagery of rulers... There is something impressive about pageantry and the grand style of opulent monarchs and their courtiers, but there are modern equivalents. Huge numbers impress. For some of us the nearest we come to receiving such indelible impressions is in massive sports stadiums or the openings of Olympic Games.

So with trepidation let us enter the vision of John.

11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

SERMON

Presbyterian Women are blessed with a wonderful magazine called Horizons which seeks to provide information, inspiration and education from the perspectives of women who are committed to Christ and the church. Each year it sponsors a Bible Study. This coming year’s study, written by Barbara Rossing is on the Book of Revelations. She points out that there are over 15 songs in Revelations. So perhaps I should sing my sermon, but I would not want you to suffer such torment! But here we are in the middle of a warm spring and we can understand that all of creation is singing a song of joy to its Creator.

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain… to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

Such words recall much of Handel’s Messiah. Especially the “Hallelujah” Chorus that Andrea played so beautiful as the postlude last week. This may be one man’s dream or vision but it has through the centuries spoken powerfully to believers about worship that strips us of our own worries and leaves us with awe. Who would not want to be there? Worthy indeed is the Lamb of God who was slain for our sins. King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

We get so sucked up into the mediocre of daily living that we can easily forget the wonder of God’s sacrifice for us. It is never about owing God worship. Such acts out of obligation are offensive to our beloved, Holy One. Worship is love that can only be given freely. It lays our very souls bare, but our God does not take advantage of our vulnerability. Instead we are given a place at the table with the Lamb who has taken our very sins upon him and this has wounded him unto death, but that is not the end of the story. “Despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” sits in the highest place of heaven and opens the doors of heaven for us to come in. In communion with God and one another we transcended this earthly realm of suffering to enter a place beyond time and space. Who would not want to be there?

“And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.”