A WORD FOR TODAY, May 21, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, May 21, 2025
Lectionary Scriptures for May 25, 2025, Sixth Sunday of Easter: Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27; John 16:23-33
“Behold, the time is coming, yes, and has now come, that you will be scattered, everyone to his own place, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.” John 16:32-33, WEB
I have made several different paintings using the idea of the “Tree of Life. One of the first is a large painting with a very dark background with the branches and trunk of the tree painted in metallic gold. The background is also outlined with gold. Then I painted leaf stamps with many different colors and stamped the canvas with leaves. The other “tree of life” paintings are similar, with leaves or flowers that were stamped on the cavasses. I’m not sure you can picture these paintings from my description. Sometimes things need to be seen to be understood or believed.
I recently saw someone say that the Book of Revelation is frightening. I suppose in some ways it is, with symbolic languages and images that are difficult to interpret. These word pictures are unsettling for most who read them. Some suggest that the visions John was seeing were of future things, that the monsters could be interpreted as modern weapons of war or other technology from our day. They look at Revelation from the point of view that it is a foretelling of what life will look like for those who live at the end of time. They suggest that John simply did not know how to describe the indescribable.
I can understand the fear. The Book of Revelation is filled with demons, plagues, natural disasters, and war. Satan and his minions do horrific things to the people of God, causing pain and threatening death. Those who were experiencing the persecution of John’s day better understood the symbolism that John was using.
John used the culture of his day when sharing the message of his vision of the Revelation. For the people to whom he was writing, the world was a frightening place. Though they had faith in the One true and living God, they could not help but to be aware of the other stories that lingered in their midst. The false gods of their neighbors were constantly an obstacle and temptation for God’s people. Religious devotion was connected to all aspects of society, so living in a world filled with many so-called gods while worshiping the One true and living God caused persecution. John uses the imagery to help the Christians realize God’s grace in the midst of their troubles and turn to Him for all they need.
The Book of Revelation certainly has some frightening and horrific imagery, but it is really a book filled with hope. Instead of seeing it as a timeline, we can understand it as a spiraling cycle of visions that begins with heavenly worship then God’s judgment against the world with a call to repentance and a promise of God’s forgiveness which leads us back to heavenly worship over and over again. John was warning the Christians of the difficulties they would face from the world and from their own sinfulness. In the midst of the warning, however, he encourages them with words of comfort and hope. “Stand fast and you’ll dwell with Jesus forever.” Some are lost in each cycle of destruction, but we are comforted by the promise that God will forgive us and lead us back to faithful to worship as we turn to Him.
Today’s passage from Revelation is a visual image of heaven given to us in words. We can’t even imagine the reality and won’t be able to do so until we are in the midst of it all. The City of God, the New Jerusalem, is so big that it would cover about half of the United States. We want to relate this image to our human experience; we want to try to imagine a city that looks like a perfect cube measuring 1400 square feet along the width, height and depth. It doesn’t make sense to our human minds; cities aren’t perfect cubes that big. However, John was describing the indescribable with words his readers could understand: this vision he saw was immense, magnificent, and greater than anything in this world.
The assigned passage does not cover the whole description, but it is worth reading through Revelation 22, where John describes the Tree of Life. I often think about that tree and wonder about the size. It is often depicted as being twelve different trees because it bears different types of fruit, however God can do anything, and I imagine that it was one enormous tree with a new harvest every month. Can you imagine how big it would have to be to provide fruit for all those whose names are written in the book of life? Can you imagine a tree that can bear different types of fruit each month?
Once again, we see the importance of symbolism to John. The number twelve is a number of completion or perfection and governing authority. Think about how often the number twelve appears in the Bible. Jesus was twelve when He was teaching in the Temple, and He healed a woman’s twelve-year hemorrhage. There were twelve baskets of leftovers when Jesus fed the five thousand. In the Old Testament there were twelve priestly divisions, and twelve spies were sent into the Promised Land. The Bible promises that Jesus commands twelve legions of angels. Twelve is a number that relates to the full congregation of believers as seen in the tribes of Israel and the number of disciples. In the Book of Revelation, John describes the New Jerusalem as having twelve foundations stones.
It isn’t surprising then, that the Tree of Life would have twelve fruits. When we think of fruit in faith terms, we turn to Galatians 5:22-23. In modern versions of the Bible, there are nine fruits of the Spirit listed, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. I think it is interesting the list is slightly different in the Latin Vulgate, which is a Latin translation that was created mostly by Jerome in the late fourth century which became the official Latin Bible for the Catholic Church and some of the modern translations used this as their basis. The difference between this one and the verses with which we are familiar is that this has twelve fruits rather than nine.
Some are bothered by the difference in texts, but numbers here don’t matter. Augustine wrote about this passage, “The Apostle had no intention of teaching us how many [either works of the flesh, or fruits of the Spirit] there are; but to show how the former should be avoided, and the latter sought after.” I am not sure why Jerome would have added the three, which are longanimity (which means patience in affliction, different from the first patience which means bearing with the imperfections of others), modesty (which means humility), and chastity (which means indulging in physical desires only when appropriate) but they are certainly fruit that we could use these days.
When Augustine said “former” he was referring to Galatians 5:19-21a, which lists the deeds of the flesh. This list is much longer and includes even “and things like these” to cover all the other sins that keep us from a relationship with God. That’s what happens over and over again in the Book of Revelation. Though we see the beauty of heavenly worship, human beings are constantly tempted away from God by the things of this world. We are tempted to sin over and over again. When we fail to live up to the expectations of God, He provides discipline, offers us a vision of what life is like without Him and calls us to repentance, which then leads us to forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration to a place where we will worship Him with all our hearts. Sadly, this spiral happened over and over again in the Old Testament. It happens over and over again in the world. And, it happens over and over again in our lives. We sin, are called to repentance, are forgiven and restored so that we can worship Him again. In the end, those of us who believe will
We automatically think of fruit like apples, oranges and peaches when we think about a tree bearing fruit, but wouldn’t it make sense that the Tree of Life might bear fruit in keeping with faith? What an awesome world the New Jerusalem would be if these were the fruits on which we were living! After all, they say you are what you eat.
When we read this passage from John, we try to imagine what he is describing, but our imaginations are simply incapable of seeing that which we will see in that day. It is like we are trying to imagine a painting just by the words describing it. We will be delightfully surprised to see the City of God, to dwell in the presence of God and the Lamb, to drink from the River of Life and to eat of the Tree. And though it will be immense, it will be personal and intimate and perfect. Sometimes we should probably stop and consider the truth that because of the faith we have in Jesus, our life will one day be one of peace and joy forever.
The Psalm for today includes a word that is used more than seventy times in the psalms and a few times in a poetic portion of the book of Habakkuk. That word is “Selah.” It is not easy to identify the meaning of this word, though many would suggest it is simply a liturgical word in the midst of the psalm to direct the music, like a rest or a stop does in modern musical composition.
However, there are those who think this word actually suggests something much deeper than just a pause in the music, that it is also instructional to the singer and listeners. The word “Selah” is thought to mean something like “stop and listen” indicating that the words deserve some extra attention. Others take this meaning even further, suggesting that it is related to the Hebrew word that means “to measure.” With this understanding the listener and singer are given the command to do more than just listen, but to also consider or “measure” the words. In this way, the verse to which it refers should be heard and understood and applied to our lives. Listening is more than hearing; it is stopping to really listen so that we will understand what is happening.
In this passage, the word “Selah” is used twice. The first is following a benediction. “May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us.” Stop and listen; measure these words and those that which comes after, “That your way may be known on earth, and your salvation among all nations.” God blesses us to be a blessing, and the purpose of that blessing is so that the world knows His salvation. His blessings to us are not for our own good, but for the good of the world. The second usage comes with a directive to the people, that they – meaning all nations – be glad and sing for joy, for God’s mercy and judgment is given without favoritism. The blessings are not meant for one people, but for all people. God’s grace extends far beyond our borders, beyond our walls, beyond our opinions and biases. Selah. Stop and listen. Understand that God has created and redeemed the whole world and one day the whole world will sing His praise.
Our first lesson during the Easter season, from Easter to Pentecost, focuses on the beginning of the church from the book of Acts. We see how faithfully the apostles willingly obeyed the call of God in each of these stories. Peter went into a Gentile home to share the Gospel. Paul stopped persecuting Christians and became the most zealous evangelist. Peter went before the Jewish Christian leaders to tell them they were wrong about the Gentiles. Ananias went to Paul despite Paul’s horrible reputation. These men all believed the word of God and did what He told them to do. They believed the visions, believed the call, and obeyed.
I think it is interesting that the vision in today’s passage came to Paul from a man in Macedonia calling Paul to come and help them, yet Paul never meets a man in this story. It is a woman who listens to the Gospel and believes. Just like Peter last week, Paul discovers a place for the Gospel that is mostly Gentile. Yet, in this story it is not a man who seeks to know the truth. Lydia was a woman of prominence and a woman of faith. She was a minority in Philippi, since the city had very few residents who believed in the one true God. Philippi was a community of retired Roman military men, most of whom worshipped the Roman gods. Would Paul have gone over to Macedonia if the vision had been of a woman?
Paul may not have ignored the vision, but we have to wonder what made those apostles and early Christians believe in the visions they saw. How did they know what was real and what was not real? Did they respond to every dream, every vision, every voice they heard? We see only the stories that were put into the scriptures, but for every true call from God we experience dozens of false calls from the adversary who is trying to get us to go in the wrong direction. Certainly, they had similar experiences.
Was Lydia what he expected when Paul arrived in Philippi? I’m not so sure. But in this story, we see that Paul presented the Gospel to those who crossed his path, no matter who they were. As Peter had learned that it was good to preach the Gospel to Gentiles, Paul learned that it was good to preach the Gospel to women. God sent him on a journey and met him with surprises, but in the end, God’s will was done when Paul baptized her entire household. That was the beginning of the Church in Philippi and Lydia most certainly offered leadership among those early Christians.
Life does not always provide for us what we expect. We have to be careful to discern whether the dreams and visions that we see are true and that they are from God. As we willingly follow God’s call, obediently sharing the Gospel with those who cross our path, we may experience something different than we expect, but we will see the blessings of God clearly.
I saw a joke on a satire page this morning with the headline, “Every Lutheran Splits Into Own Individual Synod.” I confess that I am a Lutheran, and though it is an exaggeration, it is sadly true. I was helping a friend better understand what I call “the Alphabet of Lutheranism” and the chart I found had about ten different denominations or associations. Sadly, that’s just a fraction of the number. According to one report, there are at least forty different types of Lutheran churches in the United States alone. The total is about a hundred and fifty around the world. If you think that we Lutherans just can’t get alone with each other, the numbers are similar in other types of Christians. Worldwide, there are more than two hundred groups that identify as Baptist. There are three times as many Pentecostals. We could do similar counts for many other types of Christians. Sadly, the fact that there are many different types of Christians is a statement in itself. Though we agree on some things, we do not agree on everything, so we build a new church on every corner, “splitting” into our own little corner of the world with like-minded people.
Have you noticed how often there are competing drug stories right across the street? There are five different kinds of auto parts stores in less than a mile near my home. Every town has an auto mile where you can find any brand of vehicle. There was a road in another town near where we once lived that was “Church Row.” It was almost like the street was zoned only for churches. There was one after another. I can’t imagine what traffic was like on a Sunday morning.
You might think it would make more sense to merge those churches, especially since some, if not all, were struggling. Some even had similar heritage (I think there were three different Lutheran churches and multiple Baptist churches in a matter of blocks.) Yet, each of those churches, though all Christian, were unique. They each had their own style of worship, their own mission focuses, and their own preferences in the administration. They all share Christ but had aspects that make them unique. And it was those unique aspects that make their identity.
I love my church. I have chosen my church for a reason. I have tried other churches, and I appreciate those who enjoy and prefer their practices even though I was not particularly comfortable with them. That’s ok! We all have unique personalities and like the chain drug stores, there are those of us who are loyal to a particular type. I am delighted to know that there’s a place where someone who likes to shout “AMEN” can go and worship God in a style that gives them joy, but also a place for the quiet, introspective type to find the joy of God in prayer and listening.
We often mourn over the fact that there are so many church bodies because it seems like we are too divided, and yet what a blessing it is to have so many different ways available to us so that everyone can find God in a style that suits their personality! God gives us what we need in many and various ways. That “church row” might seem impractical, but it is actually a gift because it offers opportunities for the Church to minister people from every culture. We want our pews to be full, but our task is to share Jesus and every person needs to find ways to experience Him that fills them with joy.
How did Paul know that he was obeying a vision? What made him follow? Did he ever have any other visions that he ignored? Would he have followed the vision if it had been the woman Lydia who had called him to come? It is impossible for us to answer these questions, but it is helpful to realize that the apostles most likely suffered from the same kind of questions that we ask today. For every story of a healing, there must have been a dozen people who weren’t healed. For every conversion there must have been hundreds that never came to faith.
That’s what happens when it is all about “we.” We forget that we do not know the mind of God. We do not have a complete picture of His plan. Our image of success is deceptive. We want to fill the pews and to grow like the church next door, but what God truly wants from us is faithfulness. We have a purpose; we have work to do, and that work is to share the Gospel in a voice that will be heard by the one whom God has opened their heart to hear. That voice might loud and joyful, full of AMENS or quiet and introspective with prayerful listening. God knows and He’s called us to be true to our own identity for His sake. We can’t do that if we are so busy trying to be something we aren’t for people who can’t hear because God is not drawing them to Himself.
It is sad that there are so many different churches, but that’s how it is in this world. The passage from Revelation makes a promise, however. There is a time coming, hopefully soon!, when there will be no need of a temple, or church, or river community because we will dwell in the New Jerusalem. We will dwell in God’s eternal Kingdom, and there will be no need for special places for us to worship in our own personal, individual ways.
Jesus knew it would be this way. He warned the disciples, “Behold, the time is coming, yes, and has now come, that you will be scattered, everyone to his own place, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.” He was addressing the disciples and the fact that they would scatter after His arrest, but isn’t it also true for us today? Aren’t we scattered and in our own worries and fears of failure, and don’t we also sometimes forget the right focus of our ministry?
When our churches seem to be failing, when our pews are empty and we aren’t sure what will happen to our congregation tomorrow, we can have hope: Jesus Christ has overcome the world. We can live in peace even in the midst of chaos because God is with us. We gather together not to be successful but to rejoice in our God. When that is our focus, we will see God doing great things among us.
God calls us to take the risk, to go out into the world and find those opportunities that He has prepared for us to share His Gospel. We just need to go out in faith. God knows when and how it will happen. Thanks to the mark of Christ, we have nothing to fear; our names are written in indelible ink in God’s Book of Life. We aren’t called to worry about the numbers of people in our pews or doubt whether we are doing everything we can do to be successful. We are called to believe. We are called to take one step at a time, sharing with one person at a time.
We don’t need to wait for the Heavenly Jerusalem to come because God’s Light already shines on us even though it seems like there are too many different churches along the road and the people inside are not what we expect. As the body of Christ, we dwell in His glory now just as we will dwell with Him forever, together with all believers in every time and place. The psalmist wrote, “Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you will judge the peoples with equity, and govern the nations on earth. Selah.” Let us stop and listen to hear His call so that we can follow obediently to His Word.
We can believe in the indescribable promise written by John in the Book of Revelation because we know the end of the story. We already have a place in this incredible city because we have been forgiven. That hope is our foundation, and it is even more beautiful than the jewels John uses to describe it. So let us dwell in this world as if the New Jerusalem has already come to us and share the Gospel so that those hearts which God has opened might hear and receive the forgiveness and hope of Jesus Christ who has overcome the world. Then by His grace they will know the peace that comes from knowing that their names are written in God’s Book of Life.
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