Revelation 3,14-22 0123
Populus Zion (Advent 1) 01
Clovis, 1. King of the Franks and founder of the Merovingian dynasty. † 511
Virgilius, Bishop of Salzburg, Austria. † 780
27. November 2022
1. ℣ Unto Thee, O Yahweh, do I lift up my eyes:
℟ O my God, I trust in Thee (Psalm 54,1).
O Almighty and Merciful God, You put to shame no one who waits for You; make us to know Your ways, and teach us Your paths, so that we know that in Your Son we are redeemed and made anew in holiness. Amen. (Psalm 25,3-4 Gradual).
2. »And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: „The words of the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of God’s creation. I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.“«
3. Advent begins the Church Year where the Church Year ended: be zealous and repent! At the end of the 1. century ad, the Church in Laodicea had grown complacent and lukewarm. In John’s day, cold water and hot water had there uses, but lukewarm water was useless. Laodicea’s faith in Jesus had become lukewarm, and thus so had their works that flowed from faith. They thought they were rich, but they were actually poor.
4. What happened in Laodicea happens in many churches: they forget who they are. They achieve their goal, and then they coast on their past accomplishments. They forget whose they are. Church becomes less about Jesus and more about them. Or they focus on the social gospel at the expense of the individual gospel. The church focuses all her energy on poverty, wealth equality and other social evils that need addressing, but forgets about the need to also call people to repentance and absolve their sins. The social gospel for this world is preferred to the transcendent heaven of the future.
5. John’s vision in Chapter 3 reveals the transcendent heaven and the transcendent Jesus. The Laodicean church was not exhorted to solve the world’s problems, but their own, and they can’t solve their problems on their own. Jesus needs to address their problems. He gives them the white garments so they may clothe themselves in His righteousness. He puts salve on their eyes so that they may see once again only by faith. He states their sins, calls them to repent and covers them in righteousness and forgive.
6. Advent is a penitential season of preparation through repentance. Populus Zion focuses our attention on the mission of Jesus’ first advent: to redeem fallen humanity from sin, death and the grave. This culminates on Good Friday and Easter Sunday with Jesus’ death and resurrection. This is why Jesus is called the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness in Revelation 3. He is the fulfillment of God’s Heilsgeschichte (salvation history) for all the world.
7. A couple of chapters later in his Apocalypse, John hears the proclamation: »Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered« (Revelation 5,5). These are royal titles that Jesus held by virtue of being of the house and lineage of David. His entry into Jerusalem on an ass is a royal act: the Son of David, the Messianic King, is riding in to receive His kingdom. The Gospel according to Matthew tells us this fulfills what was spoken by the Prophet Zechariah: »Behold, your King is drawing near to you, humble and mounted on an ass, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden« (Zechariah 9,9). Zechariah tells us this King arrives to justify and save.
8. We acclaim Jesus as this Saving King. We confess our sins and acknowledge our need for our Savior. We strengthen our faith by reading and studying the Scriptures. We spend time in prayer. We extend love and charity to our neighbors. All this is part and parcel of our Advent preparation to receive Jesus’ arrival on Christmas.
9. We await Jesus’ second advent by looking back on His first advent that began its culmination on Palm Sunday. At His first advent Jesus entered Jerusalem as a humble prince. On an ass, but at His second advent He will return to Earth as aglorious King on a horse. As John’s Apocalypse draws to a close he sees this vision: »Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one seated on it is called Faithful and True, and in tighteousness He judges« (Revelation 19,11).
10. Be on guard and keep awake (Mark 13,13), for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed (Roman 13,11). Blessed is Jesus who arrived and will arrive in the Name of the Lord (Matthew 21,9)!
11. He comes to judge the world,
To bless those who bless Him,
With grace and holy light
To, those who love and seek Him.
O come, O come, O Sun,
And bring us all at once
To eternal light and delight
Into Your hall of joy (Wie soll ich dich empfangen selk 872,2 2021 Paul Gerhardt 1653).
This is most certainly true.
12. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.
13. Let us pray. O Almighty Lord and God, direct our steps into the way of peace, and strengthen our hearts to obey Thy commandments; may the Dayspring visit us from on high, and give light to those who sit in darkness, and the shadow of death, that they may adore Thee for Thy mercy, follow Thee for Thy truth and desire Thee, for Thy sweetness, who art the blessed Lord God of Israel, both now and evermore. Amen. (1. Advent, Vespers Collect 2. The Daily Office.)
To God alone be the Glory
Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm
✠
All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.
Evangelisch-Lutherisches Kirchengesangbuch. Copyright © 2021 Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, Hannover.
The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.
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