Introduction
Today is All-Saints’ Day, which in
times gone by was kept as a more prominent festival than it is today. In his journal, John Wesley describes All-Saints’
Day as one that, ‘I peculiarly love’ (Journal for 1789. (As an aside, it seems that in 1788 and 1789
immediately after All-Saints’ day he came to Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire,
where he reports attending services at Hinxworth, Wreslingworth and Bedford!)
Together with All-Souls’ Day on 2nd
November, All-Saints’ day offers the Church the opportunity to remember and
give thanks for God’s work of grace in all Christians throughout time. More particularly, perhaps, we use it as an
opportunity to remember those who have recently died.
The Seven Martyrs statues - St Albans Cathedral (image from https://www.stalbans.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/NicheStatuesweb800.jpg)
Call to Worship – the collect for All-Saints’ Day
[you may wish to
light a candle to remind you that you are worshipping alongside the whole body
of Christ’s people – in addition you may wish to light candles in memory of
those whose lives of service you wish to particularly recall this All-Saints’
day.]
Almighty God,
you have knit together your chosen people
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord.
Give us grace so to follow your blessèd saints
in all virtuous and godly living
that we may come to those inexpressible joys
which you have prepared for those who love you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Hymn – StF 11 – Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty - https://youtu.be/JwuDSw-9cUQ
‘all the saints adore thee, casting down their golden crowns around the
glassy sea.’
Prayer of Adoration –
Salvation
belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.
Lamb upon the throne,
the saints and angels adore you
we worship and adore you.
Amen!
Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
be to our God for ever and ever!
Amen!
Amen!
To him who sits on the throne and to the
Lamb
be praise and honour and glory and power
for ever and ever!
for ever and ever!
Amen and Amen!
from Revelation 5.13 and 7.10-12
Prayer of Confession
We have become
accustomed to thinking of saints as special Christians who attained some higher
degree of holiness. The truth, though,
is God regards each and every follower of Christ as a saint. Each of us carries our own weaknesses,
vulnerabilities and inner-conflicts.
This is what it means to be human.
Yet ‘Salvation belongs to our God’ who
reaches out to us in grace and mercy, let us therefore approach the throne of
grace with confidence, so that we might receive mercy and find grace to help us
in our time of need.
from Hebrews 2.16 and Revelation 7.10
Almighty
God, to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are
hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our
hearts
by the inspiration of your
Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love
you,
and worthily magnify,
your holy name;
through Christ our Lord, Amen
Liturgical text from The Alternative Service Book,
1980
© 1980 The Central Board of Finance of the Church of England
Introduction to the
Reading (a video sermon based on this study can be seen here from about 10.30am on Sunday 1 November: https://youtu.be/o_l-F3y4tCU)
In our reading
today we will hear(or read) John’s vision of the heavenly throne and the ‘great
multitude that no-one could count.’
Before we do, it is worth taking some notice of the earthly scene
that comes immediately before it.
It is the point
in the book of Revelation when the first six of the seven-seals are
opened. There are (at least) three
‘sevens’ in Revelation: the seals, the trumpets and the bowls and these, often,
horrific visions have been the subject of much speculation and interpretation
throughout Church history. It would seem
that each generation’s interpretation is eclipsed as history continues to
unfold and thus demonstrates that the people were not at the point they thought
they were in Revelation’s story line.
More recent
scholarship has suggested that the attempt to translate John’s visions into a
chronology is probably not the most helpful way to approach Revelation. It is fuelled by our human desire to ‘know’
and be ‘certain.’ But, a recent writer,
suggests that this is to miss the point which may be that the earthly scenes
demonstrate that in this life there will always be turmoil, tribulation and
upheaval but that such havoc is punctuated by a glimpse of heaven which brings
with it the reassurance that God’s throne is unshaken by such earthly turbulence.
God’s people are assured that, in the
end, they will pass through this uncertain earthly life and be granted the
peace and security of dwelling with God in the new heaven and the new earth
which, we read at the end of Revelation, will be a place where ‘there will be
no more death or mourning or crying or pain or the old order of things has
passed away.’ (Rev 21.4)
If we accept a
reading of the seals, trumpets and bowls, that sees the various troubles as a
‘spiral-like’ description of ‘structures of evil in the world’ that recur
throughout history, then we open up the possibility that we may read
Revelation’s earthly scenes and see that we are living through another such
cycle and begin to interpret the signs and symbols again for our age. Likewise, we too, may take comfort from
knowing that as earth’s structures of evil continue their cycle of
disintegration so in heaven God’s throne remains unshakable and true.
Reading: Revelation 7.9–17
9 After this I looked,
and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every
nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the
Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their
hands. 10 And
they cried out in a loud voice:
‘Salvation
belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’
11 All the angels were
standing round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures.
They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12 saying:
‘Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honour
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!’
13 Then one of the
elders asked me, ‘These in white robes – who are they, and where did they
come from?’
14 I answered, ‘Sir,
you know.’
And he said,
‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,
‘they are before
the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
16 “Never again will
they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,”
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at
the centre of the throne
will be their shepherd;
“he will lead them to springs of living water.”
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”’
Reflection
In the opening
chapter of Revelation, John describes himself as a ‘companion in the suffering
and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours’ and tells us that he ‘was on
the island of Patmos [a prisoner] because of the word of God and the testimony
of Jesus.’ (Rev 1.9) From early on in Christian tradition it has
been suggested that John was writing in during the reign of emperor Domitian,
who died c.96AD.
The Encyclopædia
Britannica describes the prevailing feature of Domitian’s reign as ‘the reign
of terror under which prominent members of the Senate lived during his final
years.’ Whilst Britannica acknowledges
that his unpopularity makes it difficult to untangle historic facts from
hyperbole they acknowledge that ‘it seems certain that cruelty and ostentation
were the chief grounds of his unpopularity.’
He was known for his arrogance and his insistence on unswerving loyalty
and ‘his insistence on being addressed as dominus et deus (“master and
god”)’ would have brought about an obvious conflict with both Jews and
Christians who would be unwilling to offer this kind of adoration to anyone
other than YHWH (and in the case of Christians, Jesus as part of the Godhead.) Indeed, this may explain some of the language
used in Revelation and elsewhere in writings attributed to John (for example,
Thomas’s declaration of the Risen Christ on the 8th day – see John 20.28.) Early Church historian, Henry Chadwick
suggests a definite link between Domitian’s actions and the writings of
Revelation ‘with its denunciations of idolatrous, persecuting Rome …’
It seems that
John’s imprisonment is as a result of his refusal to bow the knee to Domitian
as ‘master and God’ and his visions come within the context of turmoil,
tribulation and trouble for the Church and the wider Roman Empire. A ruthless and cruel Roman emperor known for
his personal indulgence and his violent treatment of opponents was willing to
inflict suffering on the empire in order to fund his own lavish lifestyle. This situation seems to be reflected by the
seals in Revelation 6 which ‘most scholars argue … represents Rome’s own
violence’ with its ‘terror and brutality.’ (Fortress Commentary on the Bible) As the seals unfold we see how military
might, civil unrest and extortionate control of basic necessities are used to
control the population. This brings
about both human and environmental suffering that is portrayed as being SO
undermining to created order that it results in natural disaster as well as
human catastrophe.
In the face of
such tribulation, John’s expresses the cries of his fellow sufferers in the
language of lament: ‘How long, Sovereign Lord?’ and … ‘Who can withstand it?’
(Rev 6.10 & 17) And here we might
argue that John’s vision and the cry of the suffering resounds through the ages
describing a scene that would be repeated again and again throughout history
and down to our time. It is a scene of
unmitigated disaster brought about by both human activity and natural forces
causing untold suffering on the innocent, the poor and those unable to defend
themselves against the tide of misery and the voices of the oppressed rising to
God asking for relief from the trial and tribulation.
And, almost in
response to this cry, God opens up to John and, through him, to us a vision of
heaven. A vision of a different
reality. The reality of the things
unseen that stands in sharp opposition to that of the things seen. For the two have always existed side by side
albeit that the full glory of heaven is, as our hymn reminds us, hidden from
the eyes of sinful humans.
The heavenly
vision takes John’s attention away from the particular moment with its specific
causes of suffering and pain and instead fills his eyes, his heart and his
being with a vision of that more solid reality that exists in eternity. Even as he experiences the suffering of his
own mortality and corruptibility, living, as he does in the midst of his moment
in history, he is offered a glimpse of immortality and incorruptibility.
Once more, (just
as he did in Chapters 4 and 5) he sees that vision, which for me speaks into
the trouble and turmoil of each and every generation. He sees “a throne in heaven with someone
sitting on it.” (Rev 4.2) Yes, as the
world spirals out of control because of the ongoing battle for earthly thrones
and crowns, there is comfort in knowing that there is a throne which no human
conqueror can touch and not only that: it is occupied by the one that the angels
worship as “Lord God Almighty.”
Now, though, he
sees more than the throne; he sees a ‘great multitude that no-one can count, from
every nation, tribe, people and language.’ (Rev 7.9) This vast congregation that is beyond
counting has been gathered out of every corner of the earth – we might say that
it has been gathered from every trouble, every conflict, every trial, every
tribulation.
Wherever human
sin has devised ways of inflicting death, God’s grace has found a way of
catching up those who refused to wash their hands in human blood shed by those
who thirsted for power for but a moment; who refused to participate in destructive
regimes that traded human lives the greedy gain of being crowned a human king,
governor, emperor or president. These
are those who turned away from corruptible and mortal glory but instead have
sought the eternal crown offered to those who washed their robes in the blood
of the Lamb, the Lamb who was slain to take away the sin of the world.
And here they
are before the eternal throne, saved out of earth’s battles and wars and sheltered
within God’s presence. Here they are,
that great parade of the truly Victorious Ones; here they are arrived at that
place where another’s greed will never again cause them hunger; where others’
blood-thirst for power will pollute the water they need to survive and where
God, God himself wipes away the tears they have shed in the midst of their
suffering. Here they are – safe and
secure from all alarm.
And there they
are, that great cloud of witnesses, whose stories we tell, whose testimonies we
hear – standing around the throne of God reminding us as we struggle our way
through our moment in history, that ours too is the Promise that we will
eventually leave this battle behind and find a place of rest in God’s eternal
presence. And in the meantime, we may
cry, “How long?” or wonder “Who can stand it?” as we ask God’s grace and help
so that we can endure in this, our time of need.
Let us hold
before us the vision of God’s glory and let us run with perseverance the race
set before us, that we too may be counted worthy of a place before that great
unshakeable throne. And may God bless us
and strengthen us as we hold firm to our faith.[1]
Hymn – StF 745 – For All the Saints
Prayers for ourselves and others. (which includes a Commemoration
for the Faithful departed)
Let us pray to the Lord, who has conquered
death.
Jesus, bread from heaven,
you satisfy the hungry with good things:
grant us a share with all the faithful
departed
in the banquet of your kingdom.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our
resurrection and our life.
Jesus, the light of the world,
you gave the man born blind the gift of
sight:
open the eye of faith
and bring us from darkness
to your eternal light and glory.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our
resurrection and our life.
Jesus, Son of the living God,
you summoned your friend Lazarus from
death to life:
raise us at the last to full and eternal
life with you.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our
resurrection and our life.
Jesus, crucified Saviour,
in your dying you entrusted each to the
other,
Mary your mother and John your beloved
disciple:
sustain and comfort all who mourn.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our
resurrection and our life.
Jesus, our way and truth and life,
you drew your disciple Thomas from doubt
to faith:
reveal the resurrection faith to the
doubting and the lost.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our
resurrection and our life.
May God in his infinite love and mercy
bring the whole Church,
living and departed in the Lord Jesus,
to a joyful resurrection
and the fulfilment of his eternal kingdom.
Amen.
The
Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power.
For
you have created all things,
and
by your will they have their being.
You are worthy, O Lamb, for you were
slain,
and by your blood you ransomed for God
saints from every tribe and language and
nation.
You
have made them to be a kingdom and priests
serving
our God,
and
they will reign with you on earth.
At this point
you may wish to say the names of those you wish to remember, or to recall them
in silence.
Give
rest, O Christ, to your servant with the saints:
where
sorrow and pain are no more,
neither
sighing, but life everlasting.
Hear us, O merciful Father,
as we remember in love
those whom we have placed in your hands.
Acknowledge, we pray, the sheep of your
own fold,
lambs of your own flock,
sinners of your own redeeming.
Enfold them in the arms of your mercy,
in the blessed rest of everlasting peace,
and in the glorious company of the saints
in light.
Amen.
The
Lord’s Prayer …
from Common
Worship
[1] References:
The Martyrs of St Albans - from the left - St Oscar Romero, St Alban Roe, St Amphibalus, St Alban, George Tankerfield, Sister Elizabeth Romanova, Dietrich Bonhoeffer - https://www.stalbans.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/NicheStatuesweb800.jpg
Britannica Library – entry for Domitian – found at - https://library.eb.co.uk/levels/adult/article/Domitian/30885
[accessed 26-Oct-2020]
Chadwick – The Early Church (London: Penguin
Books, 1990) pages 26-27
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