God’s grace, peace
and mercy be with you. … My sermon is entitled Best and Worst Days of My
Life and is based on Revelation (22). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the
psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the
house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we
rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds
and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most
Holy Trinity. Amen.
The best day of my
life. If you search for the phrase “best day of my life,” you will find an
unheard of and forgettable movie, book and country western song by George
Strait. Primarily, you will hear a catchy tune by American Authors which
received a lot of airplay in 2013, and which was later used in commercials by
Lowe’s, Hyundai and Best Western Hotels. It was played for the Little League
World Series, the Stanley Cup playoffs and by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If you ask people
what the best day of their life was, some will say their wedding day, the day
their child or children were born, the day they got hired for their dream job,
and so on. When I was serving at a church in Swissvale, I went to a funeral
home to pray with a church member who lost her husband. I don’t remember many
details other than his name was Domenic, retired, and for many years, was an
usher at Forbes Field. The best day of his life was October 13, 1960, according
to his widow. As he lay in the open casket, his widow had pinned to his suit
lapel a large button with a picture of Dom running behind Bill Mazeroski before
he crossed home plate. After Dom’s widow told me that that was the best day of
his life, I wondered why it wasn’t his wedding day or the birth of his children
or grandchildren. I also wondered about all those other answers other people
offer.
We capture moments
on the best days of our lives through pictures or videos. If those recording
means were not available, we may have jotted a few words in a journal or diary.
In our reading from Revelation today, John offers readers not only the best
day, but the best moment. And it’s one that will never end. There will be no
need for cameras or diaries to remember a good time that we once had.[1]
Revelation depicts
what heaven will be like. Today’s reading paints a figurative picture. It
describes the river of life-giving water, the tree of life, the throne of God,
and the heavenly multitude who worship God day and night. The most important
part to me is verse 4, “They will see his face, and his name will be on
their foreheads.”
Since the fall, no
human being had ever seen God face to face, for to do so meant death. We read
in Exodus how God responded to Moses’ request to see his glory. God told him
that no man could see his face and live.[2] However, God promised that
his righteous people would one day see His face and be satisfied.[3] We hear that promise at
the end of each Divine Service, The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord
make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; The Lord look upon you with
favor and give you peace.[4] It is what all of Jesus’
disciples want through the words of Philip, “Lord, show us the Father,
and it is enough for us.”[5] Jesus promised in the
Beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”[6] St. Paul was confident of
this when he wrote to the Corinthians, “For now we see in a mirror dimly,
but then face to face.”[7] That promise is fulfilled
in this passage from Revelation.
When we see God’s
face, his name will be upon our foreheads. This was promised earlier in chapter
three when Jesus said he would write on the conquering faithful disciple “the
name of my God, and the name of the city of my God.”[8] It was repeated twice after
that.[9]
When we were
baptized, the pastor said, “Receive the sign of the holy cross upon your
forehead and upon your heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the
crucified.” That and the donning of the white robe or baptismal garment
marked us as belonging to Christ. In that way, Christ took away sin and marked
us with his perfect righteousness.[10] So, one day you, now
redeemed and marked by Christ, will see God face to face. Guaranteed, that will
be the best day of your life, for we Christians do not fear death and hold
Christ’s promise of everlasting life.
One of the reasons
that John offers such hope to Christians persecuted for living their faith is because
in contrast to the Gospels which describe the life of Jesus on earth through
his ascension, Revelation begins with that moment. It presents Christ as Lord
of lords and King of kings, from the time of his ascension until he returns to
judge earth and usher in a new creation.[11]
Christology, the
study of Christ, is usually seen as low or high. Low Christology refers to the
human side of Jesus, the state of humility. High Christology is the study of
the exalted Christ. Revelation’s high Christology sees Jesus in several roles.
As Son of Man, he will bring all things to an end when he comes in judgment.
All creation will bow before him. As Lamb of God, all God’s people will be
redeemed and made into a kingdom for our heavenly Father. Because the Lamb won
the victory for God’s people over death, hell, Satan, Christ is honored. As the
spokesman and the Word of God, he is mediator and witness of the message of
Revelation.
Revelation’s high
Christology is summarized in verse 13, where the three divine titles describing
the eternal magnitude of our infinite God are applied to Jesus. Primarily, Jesus
Christ is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End of all creation,
and the new creation. Secondly, he is the Alpha and Omega of all eternity. Finally,
with the Father, Jesus of Nazareth, born of a woman, is glorified and honored
as God incarnate. Through Him alone God creates and redeems the human race,
judges us and has mercy upon us. For us, Revelation ends as the best moment for
all of us because of Jesus Christ.
As I pondered that
this past week, a second question came to me: What is the worst day of my life?
I remember some of the worst days of my life. I saw the Cadillac hurtling
towards me in an inevitable T-bone. I remember missing the last step of the
staircase while touring a castle in July 2019 and tearing my rotator cuff as I
attempted to break my fall. I recall the feelings when I walked into a meeting
prepared to present an update on a golf outing and being told that my job was
eliminated on Friday, May 13, 2016. I know exactly where I was when I heard
that my father and brother had died, and exactly when my mother died.
Apart from the personal
worst days of my life, I remember arriving home from school on November 22,
1963, wondering why my mother was crying while watching TV. I remember standing
in the kitchen of the rectory at St. Irenaeus Church watching the news as the
second plane hit the World Trade Center.
What do we do when
we experience the worst day of our lives? I can tell you that on the afternoon
of September 11, 2001, a member of the congregation called and asked if I would
open the church so that people could come pray together. I remember a crowded
church on September 16, 2001, a less crowded church the following Sunday, and by
October, we were back to our normal attendance.
I mention this
because to me it seems that on the worst days of our lives, we turn to God.
After experiencing one of the worst moments life deals us, we seek divine
intervention. As helpless creatures, we submit ourselves to our Almighty God,
King of kings and Lord of lords, begging for help. Like King David, some of us
make promises, deals and commitments to God if He comes through for us.
Eventually,
however, most people – even steadfast Christians – return to their normal
state. Maybe we don’t see the need honor the promises, deals and commitments we
made. Maybe we don’t see the need to return to church and God each Sunday for
whatever reason we render: work, family activities, travel, foul weather and so
forth. Folks, if we find that we need God on the worst days of our lives, do we
see that we need God on the best days of our lives and all those days in
between?
So, why should I
be here each Sunday? Ask yourself some questions. Is there anything happening
here that does not happen in my recliner, sofa or bed where I can relax
peacefully? Is something going on here that does not occur on the ball field or
golf course, at the lake or the cabin? Can I learn something more important
from Sunday morning TV programs, books, blogs or newspapers?
Friends, I
understand how nice it is to sleep late on Sundays. I enjoy a cup of coffee
while reading the paper on the back deck. I know the importance of showing up
for work on Sunday morning. But given that our reading from Revelation
describes what God has done, is doing, and will do for us, perhaps I can
reflect deeper on the need to be in church on Sunday mornings.
To answer my
questions about being here, I’ll say this. I believe that I need a Divine
Authority in my life and that Jesus Christ is God Himself, my Maker, who has
built His Church for us because we need it. What happens when people gather in their
Church for Divine Worship does not occur anywhere else. In the Church we
confess our sins to God with fellow sinful believers and receive God’s mercy as
His people. In this church, I can hear God’s Word in the same manner as it was
announced to His Church 2,000 years ago. From this altar I receive the true
Body and Blood of the Risen Christ as a member of this body of believers. In
this sacred space, we are blessed with the same words Abraham blessed God’s
people, the same words that blessed Jesus Christ when he worshipped. What
happens here on Sunday morning happens nowhere else, and I am blessed to be
here on my worst day and on my best.
This is the last
Sunday of Easter (given that next Sunday is Pentecost). If you have fully
understood how much our Exalted Lord Jesus Christ means to you on the best and
worst days of your life, then maybe, you are ready for your eternal reward. If
not, I encourage you to return each Sunday until you do. This week, I ask you
to contemplate what it means for you to see God’s face. As you do, may the
peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus the Risen Lord. Amen. Alleluia!
[1]
Daily Meditation for Revelation 22:1-7, The Word Among Us. November 29, 2014.
[2]
Exodus 33:18ff.
[3]
Psalm 17:15.
[4]
Numbers 6:25-26.
[5]
John 14:8.
[6]
Matthew 5:8.
[7] 1st
Corinthians 13:12.
[8]
Revelation 3:12.
[9]
See also Revelation 7:3; 13:16.
[10]
Rite of Holy Baptism.
[11] Louis
A. Brighton, Revelation. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (1999), p. 659.
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