4 Easter C April 21, 2013
Luther Memorial Church Seattle, WA
The Rev. Julie G. Hutson
Acts 9: 36-43 + Ps 23 + Rev 7: 9-17 + John 10: 22-30
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
From the reading from John’s Revelation this morning: “Then one of the elders addressed me, saying ‘Who are these, robed in white and where have they come from?’ I said to him ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Rev. 7: 13-14
Who are these, robed in white and where have they come from?
Don’t you hate it when someone asks you a question that you know they already know the answer to? And they know that you know that they already know the answer. Parents have been known to do this…Did you make this mess? Did you make your brother cry? Oh, yes….it can be frustrating when the question is asked by someone who already knows the answer. And that’s exactly what happens in the reading from Revelation. It’s an odd exchange between the elder and the writer of
Revelation. The elder asks a question for which he already knows the answer.
Who are these, robed in white and where have they come from?
When someone asks a question to which they already know the answer, we can be sure that there is more that they want us to learn from the question. That they want us to think about the answer. And this elder is no different.
In this portion of Revelation, the great multitude, the ones robed in white.. were worshiping. They had gathered before the Lamb, waving palm branches. The angels and the elders and the four living creatures were also worshiping, falling on their faces before the Lamb. Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen!
This is their song. This is their worship. And yet, the elder asks the question – who are these, robed in white and where have they come from?
And here is the answer. This is who they are. These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
These hosts are the ones who have come out of the great ordeal – these are the ones who have come through the worst that life had to offer them.
They are not named in this section of Revelation. But in these days we can name those who have come out of their great ordeals.
In Boston they are named Sean, Krystle, Lu, and young Martin.
In Texas and in China they are still gathering the names.
In Newtown they are Charlotte, Daniel, Rachel, Olivia, Josephine, Ana, Dylan, Dawn, Madeline, Catherine, Chase, Jesse, James, Grace, Anne Marie, Emilie, Jack, Noah, Caroline, Jessica, Avielle, Lauren, Mary, Victoria, Benjamin, and Allison.
Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?
In Seattle, at Café Racer, they are Joseph, Andrew, Kimberly, Donald, and Gloria.
Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?
Their names are too numerous for our time, too numerous for our hearts and spirits to hold. Their names became known on September 11th, in Oklahoma City, at Fort Hood, at Columbine, at Virginia Tech, in a Lutheran Church narthex, and in a Wisconsin Sikh temple.
Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?
Their names come from across time and Creation – Rwanda, Darfur, Germany, Oslo, Japan, Syria… They are mothers, fathers, daughters and sons…sisters and brothers.
Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?
What we learn from the elder and from the writer of Revelation is something about suffering. We are reminded in this vision, that the faithful, those worshiping before the throne, have also endured suffering. In the words of the elder, they have come out of the great ordeal.
Very often – all too often – life is, indeed, a great ordeal. Not all tragedy plays out on CNN. Very often, it is private grief, personal pain, individual suffering. It has been said that on any given Sunday a broken heart sits in every pew. To which I would respond – only one?
The Church would do well to remember that the message we bring – the Gospel message of hope in Jesus Christ, is brought to a world that is, and has always been, engulfed in pain of some kind – embroiled in some sort of controversy – engaged in war – torn by violence. From the beginning of recorded time, this has been the case. We do well to acknowledge that our faith in Christ is not some sort of magic protection against harm. It does not guarantee that we will not become the victims of some terrible act of violence. It does not guarantee that we will not receive a terrible diagnosis. It does not mean that our hearts will not be broken. It does not mean that we will never make mistakes. Like every person on this earth, we live and move and exist in a broken world, a world we share with evil and randomness.
But hear the good news, the Gospel news, the news of promise. Those who worship in their washed robes before the throne, those who have come through the great ordeal, have come before the God who will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
This Sunday in the Church, the 4th Sunday of Easter, is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. It is the Sunday that we reflect on the image of Jesus as both Good Shepherd and Lamb. And on this day, during this year, we desperately need to be reminded of the presence of the shepherd.
It is the shepherd and the Lamb…it is the one seated on the throne the one who walked in the garden, it is the One in the burning bush…it is the one who brought Israel through captivity, the one who led them to the promised land. It is the One who healed the sick and the lame, who ate with the outcast and who loved the poor. It is the one who suffered and died for us. This is the one who walks with us through the great ordeal. We do not go there alone. This is the one who is present in every horrific place and in every moment of joy. This is the one who gives us eternal life, as our Gospel reading reminds us on this day. This is the one who says that no one can take us out of his hand, no matter what. This is the one, who is our shepherd, who will guide us to springs of the water of life where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. This is the good news on this day and every day. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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