Revelation Intro

Here we go. On the first Sunday of August 2014 Malmesbury Abbey will emerge into the ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus found in John’s Gospel. But for the next 13 weeks we read, listen, worship and pray our way, together, through the last book of the Bible; Revelation. Welcome to the most misunderstood and avoided book of the Bible. The book where a large number of Christians have got to the end of Chapter 5 and simply said ‘I’ll think I’ll jump to chapter 21. No harm in that.’ (Thereby missing the Hallelujah! chorus tucked away in Revelation 19.) This blog is a very brief introduction, which includes a number of insights and quotes from Eugene Peterson’s book Reversed Thunder. We’re also recommending Tom Wright’s Revelation for Everybody and Paul Langham’s  Understanding Revelation.

REVELATION?

Yes, a Revelation, not Revelations. The first three Greek words of the book offering us the title: Apocalypse Jesus Christ; a revelation of Jesus Christ. An uncovering, a revealing of and from Jesus. Heaven and earth interconnected through words spoken and written; through the Word. Why wouldn’t disciples of Christ read every chapter, and take time with every word?

65+1=66

There are 66 books in the Bible. Revelation is the last, and it is pretty impossible to read and understand well apart from at least some of the other 65; particularly Ezekiel, Daniel, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Isaiah & Exodus. In the 404 verses of Revelation ‘there are 518 references to earlier scripture.’ Our daily readings in the centre of this news sheet will take us slowly through Revelation with some of the associated Old Testament references. Don’t miss the opportunity to read these.

ESCHATOLOGY

A word that you might hear in the coming months, which simply means the study of cats. Or alternatively the study of the last things. ‘Eschatology involves the belief that the resurrection appearances of Christ are not complete.’ By the time we reach Revelation 21 we should be starting to realise that Easter Day began something unbelievably glorious, transformative and cosmic, which Christ will return to complete. The post-resurrection fish breakfast in Galilee (John 21), the broken bread on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24), and especially the bread and wine of our own Holy Communions are all eschatological. They point to the end, to the wedding supper of the Lamb and his bride. But that’s Revelation 19; July 20th, at a church near you.

IMAGINATION

G.K. Chesterton wrote that ‘though St John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as one of his commentators.’

He was right. And many pastors and teachers have let an uninformed imagination run hopelessly wild as they led many astray in this book. However the challenge is to allow our imaginations to be alive and our faith to be refreshed as we read Revelation, but to stay healthily connected to the orthodoxy of the other 65 books of the Bible.

BLESSING

When we talk of ‘beatitudes’ most people think of Matthew 5. But there are other biblical beatitudes and you’ll find seven in Revelation. (I wonder if that’s a significant number?) The first is this: Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. You and I are about to be blessed. Christ is present with the words of this extraordinary book. Our challenge is to slowly absorb this book, and then to keep it within. Blessed is the one who keeps the words  of the prophecy in this book. (Rev 22:7)

  

God crossing the Road

Last week I had the very unusual experience of being rung up by a reporter from The Sun. She was very pleasant and had my phone number because of the Malmesbury Abbey skateboarding events we run each February. I was asked to write an Easter message for 3 million Sun readers. It would be good, she said, if I included the meaning of Easter, something about the local community, skateboarding and maybe make some of Jesus teaching relevant to young people—in 200 words, maybe 300. As well as writing this I had a photographer come a take my picture, for about an hour. (Apparently he struggled to find that good side.) Anyway, I think this might be a first for the vicar of Malmesbury Abbey, so in case you missed it, it’s printed below in the version I submitted. Happy Easter.

‘Life doesn’t always work. People lie, relationships fail, jobs disappear, bills get left unpaid, family get sick. We all get that, young and old. So if Easter means anything at all, it must mean something about that, about reality. It can’t be just a bunch of songs in an old building - although I like the songs, and the building I work in is awesome.

Jesus tells a story about a man, the Good Samaritan, who crossed the road to help a badly beaten up stranger. And on our better days we’d probably give it a go too, because people matter. But the bigger picture is this: Easter means that God crosses the road towards us when we’re beaten up. When life doesn’t work.

Each year in February we put a skatepark in Malmesbury Abbey. Yes, a 21st century load of noise and wheels in a 12^th century Abbey. We don’t do it because we think the world would be a better place if everybody skateboarded – that would be one slightly weird world. We do it because nobody can afford a holiday in the February half term, and because we want to cross the road to young people and families in our community and say Easter means something.

God looks at the mistakes and struggles of our lives and says the story doesn’t have to end there, with the despair of Good Friday. There is hope on Easter Day, because where there was death, now there’s life. And if God can conquer death, God can conquer anything. Easter means God is crossing the road.’