One of the nice things about living in this world is that instructions have become very clear. If you stop at a fast food restaurant for coffee, the cups are clearly marked, “Caution! Hot Coffee” as a reminder to drink the beverage carefully.  If you see a sign which says, Electric Fence” you know that if you touch those wires, it’ll be shocking. Even the toaster oven my wife and I recently purchased includes the clear instruction that we should not use this appliance in the bathtub. Indeed, instructions are very clear.

            We even have clear instructions when we wander into a bookstore. When we see a book titled Left Behind, the advice is right there on the cover. Don’t pick up or buy this book! Leave it behind! Okay, maybe I’m being a bit too hard on the authors of the Left Behind series; but it troubles me. They have taken book of Revelation and interpreted it literally. They have viewed Revelation as a clear definition of how the end times will unfold. One of the authors has even gone so far as to declare that the books will be much more popular after the rapture. In taking this stance, it seems they have missed the point.

            Over the past few Sundays of the season of Easter, the second reading has been from Revelation. Each of these texts has lifted up a message of promise and hope; and served as a reminder of what God intends to do and who God calls us to be, as God’s children. Revelation was never meant to strike fear into the hearts of Christians. Instead, it was written by a man named John, who was in exile, to Christian communities. It was meant to encourage believers who were being persecuted and to remind those churches that were getting a bit too cozy with the Roman government that true allegiance was to God. The Book of Revelation was written to speak a word of good news to all about the promises God makes to God’s children

            Today’s text from Revelation (21:1-6) speaks one of these hope-filled, amazing messages. John describes the end and he sees that all things are new. He even notes that the sea is gone. This, in and of itself, is powerful. The sea, for the people living at that time represented chaos, destruction, and the unknown. So, John says, the chaos is no more. God is in control and has ended the chaos. On the last day, there will no longer be chaos. Warfare will be ended; natural disasters will be no more; abuse and neglect will cease; hunger and homelessness will end; and sin and suffering will be swallowed up forever. All will be new and all will be at peace.

            Moreover, God will be there, making His home among people. What is interesting is that a better translation might be “God will pitch his tent” among the mortals. What wonderful news! The day is coming where God will dwell fully among us; wipe away tears; end death; and stop, for all time, mourning, crying, and pain. Even our thirst will end for God will satisfy us with water from the springs of life.

            Yes, this is wonderful news! It is amazing news! It is a revelation filled with words of hope! But what do we do until that day, the day God makes all things new, the day of resurrection? What about the chaos we see around us now? How do we deal with the mourning, crying and pain we experience? These things are most certainly part of life now, because we are worried about world in which we live. We are concerned about the economy. We worry about other nations that are a threat, or perceived threat, to us. We are concerned about the world in which our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will grow up.  We realize we are thirsty now. We are thirsting for that day when all will be new.

            Yes, we are thirsty, but we are not parched. We are not parched because God graciously gives us a foretaste of that day. God comes to us, washing us in the baptismal waters of life. God promises to always be with us, no matter how thirsty we are and to stay with us in the midst of tears, mourning and pain. God come to us and speaks to us in the Holy Word, reminding us of promise that on cross and in the resurrection, Jesus won victory over sin and death. The chaos we experience now are the dying spasms; the attempts of sin and death to hold onto power despite the fact that the day is coming when they will be utterly destroyed. God, the victor over that chaos, also comes to us and feeds us with the body and blood, a foretaste of the feast to come. Through this meal, God helps our thirst and hunger and strengthens us for work in the world.

            From today’s gospel text in John (13:31-35), we get an image of what work might look like. Jesus tells disciples to love one another, just as he has loved them, and that by that love, others will know they are his followers. God calls us to the work of loving others. One of primary ways we love others is through the ministries of this church.  Indeed, Trinity itself, as the place where God calls and equips disciples; as the place in which nurture and outreach occur, is a ministry! This place, this space, what happens within these doors is vital to our work in God’s kingdom, which is the work of loving others.

            Think about countless ministries which show love. We show love to those in midst through education ministries, by passing on faith. We show love to grieving families through the funeral meals that are lovingly prepared. We show love to those in our community through Feed Your Neighbor, Kate’s Cupboard, the Community Garden, and the yearly egg hunt and trunk or treat. We even show love to our community by sharing our space with Square Dancers, wood carvers, and voters. We demonstrate love to Ohio through gifts to Southern Ohio Synod, which bless places like Capital, Wittenberg, and Trinity Seminary. We show love to our country through benevolence to ELCA, which supports things like disaster response and meeting needs in America. We demonstrate love to the world through the Lutheran World Relief quilting group; giving to help victims of natural disasters; through the coin boxes kids are filling for World Hunger; and through the support of Bob and JMe Lowden, missionaries in Tanzania.

            There are Countless ministries and countless ways we show love. We begin to see ministry as an every day event; and rejoice that ministry is possible because of over-arching ministry that is Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Of course, ministry needs ministers, and not just pastors. For ministry to happen, all people, the priesthood of believers, are necessary. A community of priests that share time, talents, and finances is needed so that vital ministry can continue.

            I share this with you because our offering was lower than expected in February and March.  There was enough of a decrease that eyebrows are being raised and questions asked about how to proceed and how to communicate needs. In the midst of these questions, we also know that Trinity is blessed by faithful givers, particularly given the state of the economy. Perhaps, though, we all need to take a good, hard look at our finances to see where God is calling us to give more. Maybe we need to take a close look at our time to see how God is calling us to share more of it. We do these things so that ministry can and will continue, not just in 2010, but for years to come!

            After all, faithful giving is a response to God who so faithfully blesses us. God gives us all we need, and for that matter, more than we need. God calls us to share our blessings as we live one another. Giving, just as God’s call to love one another, is a joy, not a burden. It is a joy because we are able to say, “God blesses us and we can be a blessing to others”.

            Indeed, God does bless us. God speaks a good news word to us and promises that, though chaos may seem to reign now; though sin and death still hurt us; though we may be suffering; that day is coming when all those things will be no more. On that day life, and life eternal, is all we will know.         

            It is these promises of life eternal and the end of chaos that are the main message of the book of Revelation. The title tells us exactly what we will get: a revelation. In that book, God most certainly reveals to us who He is. He reveals that He is a God of mercy; a God of love; a God who forgives us, redeems us, and saves us; a God who promises to raise us to new life; and a God who is, most certainly, the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. Because this is who our God is; because our God blesses us so abundantly with these promises and with daily gifts; we go. We go to share this news; to love one another; and to faithfully give of all we have so that ministry continues; and the good news spreads in our church, community, state, country, and world.

Amen.

© 2010 Rev. Todd A. Cutter. Please do not reproduce or distribute without permission.