Revelation 19:9-10 (NRSV)
And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’ Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow-servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’
THOUGHTS:
In the midst of heavenly rejoicing for God's justice and for the union of beloved partnership between the Lamb and saints, these verses introduce a note of dissonance. It's a little jarring, honestly; it isn't what I expected to happen at all. I might think that with God right in front of John that he would know where to direct his worship. Still, I might be kidding myself. I lose sight, after all, of God in my midst; we all do. We all need reminding of why we're here and what we're doing. They wouldn't call it good news if it weren't new to us again and again.
Worship God, the angel says. During Lent, we might elaborate: return to God. Return to the Holy Mystery that gave us birth and who embraces us with love. Return to the wellspring of living water, that we might come alive in our witness to Jesus, Love lived out, watered by the Spirit of prophecy. Return to the One who invites us to the feast of union, of heaven coming to earth.
PRAYER:
Holy One, we raise our thanks and our longing to you. Renew and bless us, that we may witness to your expansive love alongside Jesus Christ and all the saints. AMEN.
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Thoughts by Ben Masters, a graduate of George Mason University and an alum of Lutheran Campus Ministry at GMU. He is currently working at Open Arms of Minnesota in Minneapolis, through Lutheran Volunteers Corps and is a proud member of the Wellstone House.
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