SPLC Eastertide 2013 - The Throne Room of the Lamb (Easter 3)

Easter 3 – Revelation 5:11-14 – The Throne  Room of The Lamb

5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,

5:12 singing with full voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!"

5:13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever!"

5:14 And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshipped.

Last week, established shape & characteristics of the Book of Revelation:

-        Hints about obsessiveness and common mistakes;

-        Identity in artistry;

-        Identity in liturgy/mysticism;

-        Identity as revelation FROM Jesus which TRANSFORMS apocalyptic.

Today, we look at the THRONE ROOM ‘scene’ from Revelation chapter 5

-        The worship of heaven is related to our own

-        The ‘communion of saints’/ ‘faithful cloud of witnesses’

-        It is a full call to participation – liturgy is never passive, it is the work of the people of God

-        It is what we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer

‘Right worship’ is foundational to the next step of living the Christian vocation in this world, in expectation of the ‘new creation’ inaugurated in Jesus’ Resurrection

The FIRST commandment...

This kind of worship & devotion is – and has always been – a POLITICAL ACT, inevitably and intrinsically...more of that next week!

Next week: Revelation 7:9-17 – A great multitude of martyrs