Sainted by Baptism; a sermon based upon Revelation 7:9-17
In the name of Jesus; amen.
For the last several weeks we have been talking a lot about the future of this church so today I want to talk to you about the present of this church. Our first reading is from the book of Revelation. Most people today think of Revelation as a code to predicting the future, but what the writer of Revelation is really speaking about is a present reality.
If you try to interpret Revelation as what will happen, as movie makers have done for years, you will miss its meaning. Revelation is the story of the Church. It’s filled with conflict, confusion, and attack, but even in the worst of it we still cry out: “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Even in the worst of it all the angels and the elders, and the creatures, and the multitudes from every nation, tribe, and language sing out to God: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Revelation is the story of the Church and as such it is our story: filled with conflict, confusion, and attacks but also words of comfort and reasons for singing about the glory of God.
To be honest, the book of Revelation scares me a bit. Martin Luther said it was one of the books of the Bible he would have left out because it was too confusing and distracted from understanding the Gospel. But this passage… well, it makes the rest of the book worth it to me.
Exiled from his home, the writer (who was possibly named John), imagines a great multitude of people, more than anyone could count, all different, standing before God. And they are there, not to be judged, but to worship. I call it the great inclusion: everyone, all people robed in white, washed clean, and worshipping God.
And they aren’t alone; because there are the angels, and the elders, and mystical beasts worshipping right along with them. It’s a crazy picture filled with all the colors of creation and blazing white.
And there they are, because they’ve been washed in the blood of the lamb; all there because they’ve been joined together through the baptism of Christ’s death and resurrection.
And then the great inclusion becomes the great exclusion because God begins to take away all those things that torment and cause conflict: no more hunger, no more thirst, no more scorching heat or sun that strikes and God becomes a shelter and a tissue to wipe away all tears.
This is the story of the Church and it is our story. It is the story of the saints; the story of us because we are the saints the ones whom God as called to worship.
And man, is it beautiful and comforting and filled with such grace. And I don’t know not one of us who doesn’t need this story. I don’t know one person who doesn’t need to have a story of beauty and comfort and grace like this one.
The festival that we are celebrating today is actually a pagan festival that included rituals to ward off the dead. The church claimed it long ago as the festival of the saints in its attempts to convert pagans to Christianity. It’s why we remember all those who have died.
But the festival of All Saints is really about baptism. That incredible thing that includes us in all the promises of God. Baptism includes us in a present reality of what God has intended for us. It’s not some future thing, but a right now thing. Baptism isn’t just something that took place in our individual pasts, but a thing that takes place in us each and every day… because God’s promises are for each and every day.
They aren’t just promises for special people or people who appear to be deserving of special attention. Baptism has included us in the picture that John paints of the great inclusion where we stand in front of God in worship with a multitude so great it can not be counted.
This is our present reality. God is on his throne and we are in worship.
Yes, there is conflict and confusion and attack in our present reality… but God has built a shelter for us where we can be fed and not fear the heat and have our tears wiped from our eyes.
This is our present reality because God acted in our past and because God has secured our future for us. God is here in the now listening to our prayers and our supplications and our praise so let’s give it.
Let us stand together under God’s shelter.
Let us eat and drink the meal that God has prepared for us.
Let us feel refreshed from the cool warmth that God has provided.
Let us follow the Lamb whose blood washed us clean.
Let us swim in the spring of the water of life.
Let us offer our tears to be wiped away…
And let us sing out Amen, amen, amen.
