Living in-between the Advents

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Living in-between the Advents

December 14, 2023 • Tom Woolford • Revelation 12

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Read: Revelation 12 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible).

‘they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their

testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.’

Revelation 12:11

“We’ve been given our parts in the nativity play! And I’m the lobster!” “The

Lobster?”“Yeah!” “In the nativity play?” ”Yeah! First Lobster!” “There was more than

one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?” “Duh!” We all remember this scene from

the 2003 film ‘Love Actually’ – and the later flash of the school nativity play in which,

indeed, several crustaceans appear on stage to welcome Mary’s baby. While the film

fondly mocks the desperate multiplication of characters in the primary school plays,

reality is stranger than fiction. Not a lobster, admittedly, but a great red dragon was

indeed present at our Lord’s birth.

A key question we’re faced with in reading this chapter is this: who is the woman, the

central character of the stylised story? Is she a symbol of the Church, picking up the

imagery of Joseph’s dream and alluding to the twelve apostles? Or is she the Blessed

Virgin Mary, the Mother of God? To quote an internet meme, ‘Both is good.’ Surveying

the Church Fathers, they’re pretty evenly divided on the question – and a few make

a case for the woman having double reference to Mother Church and Mother Mary.

As Mary brought her Son into the world, the great dragon Satan, operating through

Herod, sought to devour Him as soon as He was born; but the Holy Family fled to

the wilderness of Egypt. Mary and Jesus thus both re-lived the story of Israel and

anticipated the experience of the New Testament Church (cf. v.17): Satan seeks to

accuse, destroy, and devour, often through oppressive secular power structures – but

God thwarts his diabolical plan, protects and sustains His holy ones, and seals His

Son’s comprehensive victory.

We live in-between the Advents of Christ (vv.10-12). The devil has been defeated –

thrown down from heaven and awaiting final judgement. The messianic kingdom

has dawned: salvation has come, the accuser has been silenced, and the saints have

conquered by the blood of the Lamb. And yet the devil’s final doom has not yet come:

he has been cast down to the earth and rages around ‘with great wrath’ (v.12) in the

short time he has left. It would be easy this Christmastime to ruin a toddlers’ nativity

play by seeking to include a bloodthirsty dragon, a massive fight between some angels

and demons, and a song about blood and woe in place of ‘Little Donkey’. But while

preschoolers needn’t act out this drama, adult Christians should rejoice to have

this opportunity to see behind the veil of the historical story we know so well to the

spiritual significance of our Lord’s first coming, even as we wait for His second.

The Revd Dr Tom Woolford, Vicar of All Saints, New Longton.

FOREWORD

Ian Paul

'I think I’m quite ready for another adventure!’ So says Bilbo Baggins as he boards the ship at the Grey Havens, on his way to the Undying Lands. Many Christians feel a little nervous about the adventure of reading this book. So here are my suggestions for getting the most out of these studies. 1. Be curious Whenever we open the Bible, we are (in Augustine’s words) reading a love letter from home. But this home of ours is another country, so we are also at the same time going on a cross-cultural adventure. The Bible was written in another language by people from another time and place, with different habits, cultures, and expectations from us. This is especially so with the Book of Revelation, which is ‘strange’ to us in all sorts of ways. So we need to be curious as we embark on this adventure, ready to learn of its strange ways, and open to hearing what God might say to us on the journey. 2. Be careful When you travel to another country, you need to learn its customs, ways of doing things, and ways of speaking, if you want to avoid misunderstanding or causing offence. There is a widespread vacuum of understanding about some important aspects of this book (such as the way it uses numbers), and vacuums always collect rubbish! We therefore need to exercise a historically disciplined imagination as we read. Many popular interpretations of Revelation are simply not possible, as they could not have been what John intended to communicate to his first audience, and we need to attend to such questions. 3. Be confident And yet, as Rev 1:3 makes clear, we are not on our own as we read. Scripture is not so much a gift to each of us as individuals (though it is that)—it is primarily a gift from God to His people. So we are reading in good company, of those around us, of those who have had time to explore the difficult issues, and those who have gone before us. Paul tells us that all Scripture is profitable to help us grow in faith—and Revelation is part of those Scriptures! So be assured that God will speak to us through this part of His word to us as we read faithfully—as we set out on this adventure together. The Revd Dr Ian Paul, Adjunct Professor of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary. Images: Cover: Unknown Artist, Christ in Majesty, 1025–1050. http://www.getty.edu Foreward: Duccio di Buoninsegna, The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, 1308-1311. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Devotion for Monday 25th December: Master of Imola, The Nativity with Six Dominican Monks, 1265/1274. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Patiently endure

December 3, 2023 • Mark Ireland • Revelation 1

Press 'more' to read the daily devotion... Read Revelation 1 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible). ‘Suffering and kingdom and patient endurance’ Revelation 1:9 (NIV) This phrase reminds me of my honeymoon! Gill and I spent the last weekend of our honeymoon in London, and I took her to an Anglican church with a strong reputation for Biblical preaching. The sermon was on Revelation 1 and the preacher spent half an hour explaining that suffering, kingdom and patient endurance were hallmarks of the Christian life. I spent the sermon quietly hoping that my new bride wasn’t taking this as a warning of things to come! John, the author of Revelation, had been exiled to the lonely island of Patmos (v.9) by the Roman authorities because of his testimony to Jesus. When John met the risen Jesus in a vision (v.13) he was given a message that related to events in the first century, ‘to show what must soon take place’ (v.1). He was writing to encourage seven local churches to keep the faith in a time of persecution ‘for the time is near’ (v.3) and to show patient endurance for the sake of the kingdom of Christ. The seven churches listed in verse 11 were in a small area of what today would be western Turkey. Interestingly, the order in which the cities are listed is exactly the order that the carrier of the letter would visit them in, following a circular route along the trade routes of the time. So as we embark on reading the book of Revelation let’s first try to imagine what this message would have meant to these young churches under threat of persecution. As we do so let’s realise that these words are deeply relevant for today too, for ‘suffering, kingdom and patient endurance’ have been the lived experience of faithful disciples of Jesus in every generation since the first century. Suffering and persecution are signs of a world that is not yet fully under the rule of Christ. But God’s kingdom continues to break into this world, and local churches are called to be signs and agents of God’s kingdom in their communities. Let us pray: Lord Jesus, ruler of the kings of the earth, help me to patiently endure whatever suffering may come today as I strive for Your kingdom to come. Amen. The Venerable Mark Ireland, Archdeacon of Blackburn

Looking to Jesus

December 4, 2023 • Anne Beverley • Revelation 2:1–17

Press 'more' to read the daily devotion... Read Revelation 2:1-17 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible). ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance’ Revelation 2:2a I find reading these words right at the beginning of Advent rather thought provoking. Especially considering how busy the next few weeks will become. To know that God sees my work and my toil, and that He sees my patient endurance, brings me much comfort in the middle of the chaos of this season. And yet there is also a warning for us, because the passage goes on to say that ‘you have abandoned the love you had at first’ (v.4). How very easy it is for us, not just at this time of year, but throughout our lives, to get so caught up in the ‘doing’ of being Christian that we forget the God whom we worship. Many are the times when I sit down at the end of the day to read by Bible and pray, only to find myself falling asleep because the day’s tasks have left me too tired. Don’t get me wrong, many days are spent doing lots of good works for the Lord, that is one of the privileges of being able to work full-time as a Priest. And yet, all the good works in the world are worth nothing unless I put Jesus at the centre of them. If not careful I can be guilty of doing just that; of focusing so much on the doing that I fail to find time to be with God. This is a timely reminder to us, right at the beginning of Advent, not to let the business of Christmas divert our attention from the reason behind the celebration. The 25th December will come and go as it does every year, whether I am ready for it or not. But daily focus on Jesus cannot be put off. As we travel through the book of Revelation let us turn our eyes towards Jesus, place Him first and foremost in our minds, give Him the best part of our days, remind ourselves each and every day of our love for Him, and then open ourselves to receive His love and care for us. Let us pray: Father, may we find your peace in the joy of the upcoming season. In the middle of the excitement, help us to focus on You as we prepare to celebrate the wonder of Your Son coming down to earth to live with us. Amen. The Revd Anne Beverley Vicar of Christ Church, Wesham & Dean of Women’s Ministry.