The Removal of the Intruder (Week 51, August 13)
Readings
Revelation 7
Revelation 14:1–5
Revelation 19:1–10
Silent Reflection
Remarks
In week 43, we reflected on the great “Hall of Faith” found in Hebrews 11. It’s incredible to think about all the people who have gone before us and decorated the pages of Scripture. Imperfect as they may have been, they persevered and trusted the story, waiting on a promise that they could only greet from a distance. And so, we’re told, it’s only together “with us” that their stories will be made complete. Just as we need their example to inspire us, they need our lives to carry forward their endeavor.
I once stood in an ancient arena with one of my teachers. He asked the group to picture different Bible characters sitting in those stands. Across the way, we saw Abraham and Sarah. In the next section, seated a little higher, David and Jonathan. Down in the front, Peter and his best friend John. And over there, Esther. And is that Deborah and Jael?
He then invited us to get more personal and consider the people who weren’t biblical characters, but had played major roles in our own faith and were no longer with us. Grandparents who had passed on their faith to our parents who passed on their faith to us. A mentor who invested in us years ago. That pastor from your childhood church. The woman who taught your Sunday School. A best friend who died too young.
“They all sit there, cheering you on, telling you to keep running. Don’t stop. Don’t give up. Finish the race; we all did.” It was one of the most moving moments I’ve ever experienced, sitting there on those ancient stones, seeing all those people in my mind’s eye.
Whenever I hear these passages out of Revelation, I always think of that same cloud of witnesses. Those multitudes who stand around the throne singing the Song of Moses to the Great Lamb. All those who gave their lives in persecution to preserve the faith. These were people who actually heard those words of John read aloud in their house church for the very first time.
It’s become cliché to talk about being part of something “bigger than ourselves.” But clichés don’t begin as clichés; they have to be repeated often enough to become them. And the reason they are, typically, is because they contain some kernel of truth. In this case, the fact of the matter is, no matter what we do or think, we really are part of something bigger than we could ever imagine. We all play our part to move God’s story along. I would imagine that someday, each of us will sit in those same stands, cheering on our own children and those who are coming behind us.
It may be good to spend some time remembering today.
Take a moment to sit and consider different people who have come before us. Consider the Bible characters. Consider those anonymous names known only to history and to God. Consider those who you knew personally. Remember them and think about the legacy they left behind. What does it mean to honor them with your own journey? And in this way, honor God.
Silent Reflection
Response
Have a few members share stories of someone who sits in their stands. Why are they an encouragement or inspiration to you?
What is the message you struggle to hear, but this cloud of witnesses has the ability to tell you with authority?
What are the things you hope people say about you when you sit in their stands one day?
Is there somebody who is not yet in your stands, but you know will be one day, and you need to reach out to them and encourage them and thank them for the way they walk their path of faithfulness?
