Morning Prayer: 28 Nov – Revelation 22:1-5 ~ the river of life, Eden restored

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 22:1-5 (ESV) – to be read aloud

In this mixed media textile by artist Karen Goetzinger, each element was chosen for its particular meaning and ties to Revelation 21. For instance, the layered organdy fabric making up the city skyline is a fabric often used in wedding dresses, evoking the description of the holy city, “coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (21:2). The patchwork fabric at the base of the piece evokes the precious jewels decorating the New Jerusalem (21:19-20), and the gold leaf cross in the center illuminates the city, for “the city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (21:23). Karen Goetzinger, Revelation 21. Mixed Media Textile. Collection of Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota. © Karen Goetzinger, www.karengoetzinger.com. — In this mixed media textile by artist Karen Goetzinger, each element was chosen for its particular meaning and ties to Revelation 21. Mixed Media Textile. Collection of Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota. © Karen Goetzinger, http://www.karengoetzinger.com.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Reflection

THE FOURTH VISION: THE NEW JERUSALEM (21:9-22:5)

Eden restored (22:1-5)

Throughout chapter 21 John has been using the imagery of a magnificent city to describe the people of God in the glorious age to come. While the first five verses of chapter 22 continue that description, they also portray the eternal state os Eden restored, thus “book-ending” the Christian Bible…. Now in Revelation we see redeemed humanity back in the garden, able to eat the bountiful fruit of the tree of life. The curse has been removed, and God’s people are again privileged to “see his face” and serve him. No greater good or more joyous truth could be imagined than eternal fellowship with God and the Lamb! Truly, the unimaginable blessings of Eden have been restored. (Mounce, p. 398)

In divine providence, our Bible ends with the ultimate restoration of the original creation. Paul teaches that although the creation is currently in bondage to decay, it nevertheless eagerly awaits the time when it will be liberated from this bondage. This will take place when the children of God are brought into the glorious future prepared for them (Rom 8:19-21). Although sin has marred the history of the human race, God has, through the redemption wrought by his Son, set into motion a new humanity. In the present age he rules the hearts of all who have turned to him in faith: in the age to come that reign will find it’s full completion. Sin will be forever removed and the design of Eden will be fully realized. The book of Revelation is the final chapter in God’s eternal plan for his children. It portrays in imagery of the most evocative kind the glorious future of all who resist the mark of the beast and turn in believing faith to the Lamb. It brings us full circle to the original desires of God in his creation of all that is (Mounce, p. 401)
__________

__________

Canticle

Christ, as a light – illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield – overshadow me.
Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________

Peanut Gallery: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 23 Sept – Revelation 8:2-5 ~ the prayers of the saints

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 8:2-5 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Preparation (8:2-5)

Jewish writings speak of the seven angels who stand before God…. To these angels are now given seven trumpets… often associated with the end-time in apocalyptic writings (e.g. Mt 24:31).

Before the angels blow their trumpets the prayers of the saints are offered. This is not an unrelated parenthesis. John means us to see that the prayers of God’s people are supremely important. Even the cataclysmic judgements which follow are held up till these prayers have been offered. Indeed in a sense it is these prayers that set the judgements in motion.

The new angel… combines much incense with the prayers of the saints… symbolizing the unity of the worship of heaven and earth…. The golden altar before the throne stresses the importance and value of the prayers of the saints…. They went up from the angel’s hand is probably a way of saying that heaven and earth are at one in this matter. Prayer is not the lonely venture that it so often feels. There is heavenly assistance and our prayers do reach God… there is something sacrificial in true prayer.

The fire came from the very altar on which the prayers of the saints have been offered. This surely means that the prayers of God’s people play a necessary part in ushering in the judgements of God.

What are the real master-powers behind the world and what are the deeper secrets of our destiny? Here is the astonishing answer: the prayer of the saints and the fire of God. That means that more potent, more powerful than all the dark and mighty powers let loose in the world, more powerful than anything else, is the prayer set ablaze by the fire of God and cast upon the earth. (Torrance)

(Morris, p.116-119)
__________

__________

Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________

Morning Prayer: 22 Sept – Revelation 8:1 ~ silence

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 8:1 (ESV) – to be read aloud

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, “The Silence in Heaven”, from Die Bibel in Bildern (“The Bible in Pictures”, 1852-1860)

The Seventh Seal (8:1)

When the seventh seal is opened, a great hush settles over the worshiping hosts of heaven… a dramatic pause… a breathless silence as all await the judgements of the scroll now unsealed…. We are reminded of the prophetic injunction, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). Apparently the angelic activity of vv 2-5 takes place during this interval of silence. Trumpets are given to the seven angels before the throne. An angel standing over the altar mingles incense with the prayers of the saints, and taking fire from the golden altar fills his censor and casts it upon the earth. The intensity of the scene is heightened incredibly by the complete absence of any sound. (Mounce, p.170-171)
_____

The best suggestion is that the silence represents an attitude of trembling suspense on the part of the heavenly hosts in view of the judgements of God which are about to fall upon the world. It is the silence of dreadful anticipation of the events that are about to ensue, now that the time of the end has come. (Ladd, p.122-123)
__________

__________

Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________

Morning Prayer: 20 Sept – Revelation 7:9-17 ~ Bliss of the Redeemed

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 7:9-17 (ESV) – to be read aloud

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Reflection

Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Church (Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate) in Butte Montana.

Orthodox Church buildings today are full of icons, but the very architecture and layout of the buildings are themselves icons of the Church. In the ornamentation of the church, the various iconographical scenes and figures are not arranged by chance, but according to a definite theological scheme, so that the whole edifice forms one great image of the Kingdom of God.

The Orthodox faithful can feel the building open up to a time without end. They are surrounded by the images of Christ, the angels, and the saints, and are reminded of the invisible presence of the whole community of heaven at the Liturgy. Each local congregation, in their church building, can see that their Liturgy on earth is one and the same with the great Liturgy of heaven.

The building should help the faithful lay aside their earthly cares, as the Liturgy is celebrated, so that they, like the cherubim, may welcome the King of all .

Overview:

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

Interlude: Bliss of the Redeemed in Heaven (7:9-17)

The church is pictured a second time from an entirely different perspective… after the tribulation is over, saved in the Kingdom of God…. No longer on earth, they crowd the throne room of heaven wearing victors’ robes and bearing the emblem of festive joy. The new vision anticipates a glorious day yet future when those who are to pass through the final persecution will enter the blessedness of the eternal state.

The innumerable multitude includes far more than the 144,000 of the previous vision. All the faithful of every age are there. Some have been called upon to give their lives as martyrs. All have been prepared to pay the price of fidelity…. They stand before God in the righteousness of Christ. God blesses them with protection and freedom from want. The Lamb leads them to springs of joy, and the tears of earth’s sorrows are wiped away by God himself.

The purpose of the vision is to grant a glimpse of eternal blessedness to those about to enter the world’s darkest hour. For a brief period John is priviledged to look beyond this age to the hour of ultimate triumph…. Without a doubt it is one of the most exalted portrayals of the heavenly state to be found anywhere in Scripture. There are no less than three paeans of praise, and lyric prose of vv 15-17 is charged with a spiritual excitement that has caused the faithful of all ages to yearn for that final redemption. (Mounce, p.160-162)
__________

__________

Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________

4th Sunday of Easter Reading: Revelation 7.9-17 (NLT) – clothed in white

Reading: Revelation 7.9-17 (NLT)

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar:

“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”

Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

“That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Prayer: “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

Wash me whiter than snow… cleanse me with the blood of the Lamb. And fill my heart, and mind, and soul with praise for Jesus – the Lamb of God – my Shepherd and my Lord.

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Scripture Song: “Salvation belongs to our God” – Petra

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: