Saturday, January 10, 2015

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Revelation 3:1-6

The prophecies to the churches at the beginning of the book of Revelation end with the formula “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” This will probably sound familiar, as St. John’s in Kitchener, and many other churches, now end their scripture readings with something very similar, like “Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church,” or “Listen for the leading of the Spirit.” I recently read Revelation chapter 3, which includes today’s passage, in the chapel at Trinity, and there was some confusion when halfway through the reading it seemed like I had finished, and a number of the people in the congregation said “thanks be to God.” I tried to rush through that part to lessen the confusion (didn't work). I also concluded the reading with the more traditional formula “The word of the Lord,” which seemed better than the repetitive "Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches... Listen for the leading of the Spirit." 

My understanding of why some churches have adopted the conclusion “Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church” is that it points to how our scripture readings call for interpretation and study. “The word of the Lord” subtly signals to the congregation that we just need to turn our brains off and do whatever we just heard. This can be dangerous if we have just listened to a particularly violent or complex portion of scripture. 

 Revelation is indeed confusing, violent, and complex, and the book of life mentioned in 3:5 probably causes more anxiety than hope. Theologians like N.T. Wright and Jurgen Moltmann have made me aware of the need to balance the words of judgement that we find in the Bible with the overall message of God’s love, creativity, and reconciliation with humanity. Our very human tendency is to fixate on the negative. If we are open to the leading of the Spirit, however, I think we will find that in our scriptures, yes, there is judgement, but in the wider context of covenant, hope, and re-creation. May we each be re-created in our openness to the leading of the Spirit. 

- Matthew Kieswetter