Pastor Steve Richards

I don’t remember most of my dreams. Most of the ones I do remember, I do not understand – and are forgotten soon after I’m awake. Reading the book of Revelation, I am hearing the dreams of John. It is a challenge to make sense of what he sees. So it is helpful to remember why he has written this book. His purpose is to offer encouragement and hope to people in the midst of persecution and ready to give up.

In Revelation 12, John offers this dream of the woman and the dragon. The dragon is in pursuit and the woman is able to slip away. However, the dragon does not go away. The chapter ends with the dragon looking out over the sea (from which the people of the first century believed monsters arise). The woman represents God’s people – believers. They are under attack and it’s not over yet. But the victory has been won. The final outcome has already been determined. Listen to the “loud voice in heaven”: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah… They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb.” (vs 10-11)

To be a follower of Christ, does not mean the challenges have ended. To be a believer, does not mean we will never feel our faith is under attack. Such challenges and attacks are not over. But the final outcome has already been determined. Salvation has come to those who will believe and will follow. What we have today and tomorrow is the power to live through whatever we face because the One who dwells in us is always and forever greater than the one who is in the world.

The dragon will return. How will the story conclude? If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you already live that answer.

Today’s readings: 2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 40-41; Revelation 12

It’s the first word that comes to mind this morning: chills. It is the feeling I have in the midst of a crowded sanctuary when everyone around me is singing with full voice. It is the feeling I have every Easter morning when we stand for the Hallelujah Chorus. It is feeling that I am part of something far greater than myself, and I suddenly stand in this “thin place” where the veil between heaven and earth is so thin that I can sense eternity. That’s what I feel this morning as I read the words of Revelation 5.

“Worthy is the lamb who was slain… To him…be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever!” And who does John say is singing this song? The voices of angels – ten thousand times ten thousand. To stand in the midst of such a choir: chills!

Jesus is so much more than a friend who would comfort us, but the Lamb who was slain for us and shares in the praise of the one and only God. The central truth at the heart of the Christian faith is that Jesus, the lion, the lamb, the Messiah, the teacher from Nazareth – this Jesus shares the worship that belongs to God. It isn’t just that Jesus is God, but we are somehow caught up in the work that God would do. There are moments when this seems so incredible and beyond my ability to understand that all I can do is lift my hands and sing with the angels: To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!

Or as we sing on Easter: Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hal-le-lu-jah!

Again, this morning: chills. I feel chills. Thank you, God. Amen.

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 12-14; Revelation 5

“Day and night they never stop saying:”

This morning, I was sitting on our back deck watching the world around me come to life. It was a beautiful scene with birds and squirrels and deer. Although I cannot tell for sure, the animals appeared content. And, they were intent on one thing – survival. For all they contribute to the world and to my pleasure, there is something they cannot do. Give praise to their Creator. You and I can do that. You and I can contemplate our purpose and give praise.

Reading Revelation (and Ezekiel) is like listening to the description of someone else’s dream. It doesn’t make a lot of sense until we begin to understand the symbolism. As you read, hopefully you have a good study Bible to help you understand the symbolism. John was writing to people living under intense persecution. What I hear in Revelation 4 is this: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Praise. Day and night, never stop saying praise.

I have not ever lived under intense persecution, and I would never presume to understand what that must be like. I have faced challenges. I have struggled. I have considered giving up. I have experienced times when the present was so hard I was unable to think about tomorrow. Praise. Not because that will get my mind off my thoughts. Not because that will suddenly change what is happening. Praise. Because that will change me and how I get through whatever I am facing.

Day and night. Never stop. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come. God’s power and holiness extend from eternity past to eternity yet to come. That God wants a relationship with me! And I am able to reach out and give praise. Praise God for that!

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 8-11; Revelation 4

We all have had moments when we thought, “that could never happen to me.” We know such things happen and sometimes even to people that we know. I’m referring to crises and horrible tragedies – a sudden diagnosis that may be terminal, a tragic accident, or a natural disaster. Today, I read the final chapter of Jeremiah. The worst thing that could happen – the unimaginable – happened. God had given the people the Promised Land and in spite of all manner of struggle and disobedience, God had always been present and seemed to prevent the unimaginable from happening. Until now.

What now? When God did not intervene – when God did not prevent the worst from happening – what now? Now, it is crucial to remember the worst thing that happens is never the last thing that happens. Psalm 143:8b – “Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” As those who survived the destruction of Jerusalem made the long journey into exile, it was a time to let go and entrust their lives to God.

I hear a similar message as I read the first chapter of Revelation. John was writing from exile on the island of Patmos to people under persecution. God was not preventing the worst from happening. But remember: Jesus himself won the victory through his suffering and so must his people.

The worst thing that could happen to us is never the last thing. There is a future. There is hope, because there is Jesus Christ.

Today’s readings: Jeremiah 52; Psalm 143-144; Revelation 1

Recently, I had a health assessment as part of my renewed effort at better health. I received a blood test. My heart rate and blood pressure were checked. I was hooked up to a device that checked my use of oxygen as I breathe. There was no doubt. I am alive! That’s how we know, isn’t it? If you are breathing and your heart is beating, you are alive. These are signs of life.

In verses 5-6 of 2 John, the apostle John wrote this: “I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” Breathe out: the command is to love one another. Breathe in: love means keeping his command. How do we know if we are alive? Like blood circulating in a healthy body or the steady rhythm of breathing, it is love. Love is what matters. Without it, are we really alive? With it – that is, with the love of God through Jesus Christ moving in and through me – not only am I alive, but the world around me is drawn closer to the source of life itself.

Verse 2: “the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever.” To be fully alive, love.

Today’s readings: Jeremiah 37-39; Psalm 79; 2 John

Buy the field! That’s the instruction the prophet Jeremiah received from God. It was not what Jeremiah wanted to do. It was not what any thinking person would do. With the Babylonian army approaching Jerusalem, the moment had arrived when the judgment and destruction that Jeremiah announced would happen. Everything would be destroyed and the people who were not killed would be taken into exile. Judgment Day had arrived. And God said to Jeremiah, “buy the field.”

Is this God’s way of helping Jeremiah play the market: buy low and sell high? This would be like buying a home just as it is set on fire (and there’s no insurance policy). Nobody would do that. What a deal for the seller! (Jeremiah, could I sell you some property on the moon?) With reluctance, Jeremiah did what God asked. Because God needed a leader.

With the army of Babylon in route to destoy Jerusalem, Jeremiah added a message that God would one day restore what would be destroyed. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34) What better way for Jeremiah to lean into God’s promise than to buy the field knowing that it will soon be burned to the ground. God was saying to Jeremiah that he must lead the way. If the people were expected to believe in God’s promise of restoration, Jeremiah must be the first to live as if God’s promise will be.

Leaders cannot expect others to go where they are unwilling to go. Leaders lead. When God says, “Buy the field”, God is calling Jeremiah to lead. But here’s where the rubber meets the road. Jeremiah must decide if he truly believes God is who he’s been saying God is. It is time to lean into God’s promise – to live what he has been saying. Jeremiah, will you risk it all to lead others to a place that God is calling you to go?

“Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: ‘I am the LORD, the God of the whole human race. Is anything too hard for me?'” (Jeremiah 32:26) Jeremiah buys the field.

Are you waiting for someone else to lead, when it is you whom God has called? Leaders lead.

Today’s readings: Jeremiah 31-32; 1 John 4

So, what do you do when you are not where you want to be? Or even if you are where you want to be, what do you do?

Jeremiah’s message for today is that the worst thing is not the last thing. Living in Jerusalem is no longer an option. God will not prevent the worst from happening. But they can live to see another day – though that day and that place will be Babylon. “Serve the king of Babylon” (Jeremiah 27:17)

The refrain in Psalm 188 is “His loves endures forever.” Now that sounds like the last thing!

So, serve where you are. Serve where you live. Today, there will be an opportunity to serve God right where I am. This is the message I heard from today’s readings. But then my morning started later than I wanted. I just could not get out of bed today, and when my day starts out other than the way I want, I get irritated. After leaving the house, I stopped at a store and waited in line for a cashier. Then someone who came in after me got to a cashier before me. No big event, but I got irritated and suddenly felt I was being treated unfairly. But the Word from scripture: Steve, will you serve me right where you are?

So, what do you do when you are not where you want to be? Serve God right where you are.

Today’s readings: Jeremiah 21, 24, 27; Psalm 118; 1 John 2

The man who saw it has given testimony and his testimony is true. (John 19:35)

Some suggest the man was John, author of this. Regardless of whether it was John or someone else, this sentence was included to make one thing clear. Jesus was crucified, and he was dead. Then as now, there would be many who questioned whether Jesus really died. Maybe it only seemed that way. Or when he appeared to his disciples, they would say it was a ghost or their imagination. Or some greater conspiracy. Today, there would be documentaries purporting this theory or that. Was Jesus’ death real? Was he dead?

John’s account was an eyewitness testimony – and to be sure a soldier pierced Jesus’ side, “bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” He was dead already, but to be sure.

It was real, bringing real deliverance for you and me. Today, we read the testimony. But I don’t need to wonder if it’s real, because I know what I have experienced is real. Deliverance from sin. And now I have a testimony to share of what Christ has done for me.

Today’s readings: Jeremiah 233, 25; John 19

The truth is that much has not changed through history. Specific details, where and when and what happened, vary. But human nature is still human nature. And I need a Savior.

For weeks, we have been reading the Old Testament story of coming destruction. It is as if we are watching someone’s slow deterioration as a result of a terminal illness or probably more like destructive behavior. Life will not turn around until that person “hits bottom”. Repeated warnings by the prophets do not bring change. The destruction of Israel does not change Judah’s ways. Repeated invasions by foreign armies do not alter Judah’s direction. We, the readers, are left to watch the slow destruction and human cost. All the while, we know as does the writer of Psalm 112: “Surely the righteous will never be shaken, they will be remembered forever.”

And in John’s gospel, we have reached the point in the story where the slow slide to Jesus’ execution suddenly accelerates and even those who might have helped (Peter, the disciple, couldn’t he have done something? Pilate, the governor, he knew Jesus was innocent. The Jewish leaders, was Jesus really that harmful?) just let one man suffer. Even today, we can rationalize destructive behavior – at least he only hurt himself. It is hard for me to read. It is ugly and painful and unfortunately resonates somewhere deep within me.

So, what is truth? Jesus said, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 19:37) The Truth stands there in person. Pilate didn’t see it. Caiaphas didn’t see it. I’m not even sure Peter could see it yet. But John wants us to see it. It is what the cross will mean. Truth is what Jesus is. Jesus is dying for Barabbas, and for Israel, and for the world, and for you and me.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

Today’s readings: 2 Kings 24; Jeremiah 22; Psalm 112; John 18