This week's text came from
Revelation 4 and spoke of heavenly worship. But before we dove into the text, I mentioned that the book of Revelation is a particular type of literature (like poetry) called
Apocalyptic. This type of literature (Apocalyptic) has certain rules that it follows, including using numbers, animals, and various other things to symbolically represent something else. This simply means that not everything in the book of Revelation is what it appears to be.
I mentioned that many people get excited when they find this fact out, and begin to ask questions about everything they read in the text. Some popular ones from chapter four include the
24 elders and the
four living creatures. Just in case you're curious, many scholars will interpret the 24 elders as being representative of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles, therefore being symbolic for the entirety of the people of God (although the below post offers another interpretation of their meaning). The four living creatures, are said to have
eyes all over them, both inside and out! For many people this is difficult to imagine (just think of a giant eyeball monster!), but the truth is much easier to grasp. Just as your mother or grandmother used to tell you she had eyes in the back of her head, and you didn't literally believe she did, so we are to understand that these four creatures are not covered in eyes, but rather see everything.
Continuing this thought process, that many things in Revelation are not necessarily what they appear, I set about trying to "unlock" the heavenly worship described in chapter four. What is described is that the four creatures utter a phrase day and night without ceasing and whenever they do, the 24 elders (representative of all people of God) respond with a phrase of their own, praising God. I must confess that one of my fears in life is getting to heaven and finding out that all we do is praise God all of the time. Imagine church 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! This notion of heaven is what I was hoping to dispell in this week's sermon. But I ran into a few problems along the way.
First I couldn't for the life of me figure a way around the understanding that chapter four basically is showing worship in heaven and that it basically amounts to praising God all day and all night forever! Second I got quite sick this week. It started with a sore throat, quickly added a fever, then a sore ear and before I was done both eyes were bothering me as well. When I went to the doctor I was informed that I was running a fever of 103, I had a sinus infection, I had an ear infection, and that I had pink eye in both eyes. I was given medicine and told to go home. I spent Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and the better part of Wednesday basically in bed miserable. I was freezing cold (due to the fever) most of the time, but enjoyed brief moments where the tables would be turned and I would awake covered in sweat. I also got to experience the joys of being openly ridiculed by the few people who happened to catch me out during the week. Both at Wal-Mart and at the Post Office I was informed that I looked "terrible" and needed to get some rest.
If this wasn't bad enough, as I began to finally get back to a more normal state, our 2 year old daughter, Hannah began to show many of the same symptoms. She had a fever that we could not seem to bring down, and was complaining of a sore throat and ear. She also had trouble trying to sleep at night, with the fever and the difficulty breathing that comes along with a sinus/ear infection. On Thursday night I lay in bed listening to my little girl snort, gurgle, and struggle to breathe while she tossed and turned in bed next to me. Every time she touched her arm to mine, I was instantly reminded that she had an incredibly high fever that wouldn't go away with medicine, baths, or drinks. I lay there and found myself pleading with God, bargaining and trying to make a deal. I proposed that if God would make her better (or just take away her fever) I would gladly take on her symptoms. It was at that moment, while I was asking God to make me sick (after I had just begun to get better) so my child could be well, that I unlocked
Revelation 4!
I realized that as a parent I wanted my little girl to get better, and that I was willing to endure anything myself in order to make that a reality for her. I also realized that as our Perfect Parent, God too wanted us to be well, and was willing to go to any length to ensure our wellness, including dying on a cross for our sins and for our salvation. We remember Jesus' coming as Christmas and his death and resurrection as Easter, but for me both moments were instantly transformed into a parent lying beside a sick child, willing to take away that child's sickness and suffer it himself.
It is in light of this reality that I present Revelation 4, the picture of Heavenly Worship, to you. It is a portrait of children signing praise to their loving Parent upon fully realizing what that Parent has done for them! Heavenly Worship, rightly understood is about God, whereas earthly worship (and all earthly life) is often too much about us. I invite you to take a moment to think about and realize what God has done for you. How has God taken your sin and sickness so that you might be well? Now take a moment and give thanks to God your loving Parent for what he has done for you!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
