We recently went out of town of the weekend, and my dad came to stay with the kids. Thanks, Dad! Even though he is a pretty good dad it has been a while since he had to hold his own with little ones. Not that raising kids has changed much since he had to do it, but each kid has different habits, preferences and needs. So before we left, we wrote down a set of instructions. This is the routine. They like to eat this. Here is how you get to school. After you are done washing the cars, mowing the lawn, fixing the fence and putting a fresh coat of paint on the house… Ok. Those last few were made up, but you get the idea. We gave him instructions to help him and the kids enjoy the time they had together. And what a blessing it was for everyone.
This is kind of what the letters in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation are like. They are written to seven churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). There is a form that is almost the same for everyone. Something good is mentioned. Which is followed by something bad. Then something that requires repentance. And, finally a promise.
The point of these letters is to prepare the church to receive the message of following chapters. We do a bit of a gut check on our relationship with our God. Have we forgotten our first love? Our we neither warm nor cold? Do we hear Jesus knocking on the door? But they don't all assume that we are failing. Are we needing encouragement? Are we needing that reminder that no matter what is going on in our lives and world that it is not bigger than our God, and that it is not outside of his ability to work?
This is what the letters do, and in reading them we prepare ourselves to receive the message of the rest of the book. Be sure, this is not a works righteousness kind of thing. Think of like self examination before receiving communion. And in doing this reflection time we see our need for Jesus, our savior, and are reminded that he is always with us. We cannot do it on our own, and neither do we have to. What an awesome and wonderful blessing.
I pray that you know the comfort and joy of this blessing this week and always.
Pastor CJ
1 comments:
Thanks for the kind words. It was certainly a blessing for me to spend time with David, Emily, and Isaac. Glad they felt the same way.
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