Revelation 7:9-17 (NRSV)
Read Revelation 7:9-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 9After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. Verse 10They cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" Verse 11And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, Verse 12singing, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
Verse 13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" Verse 14I 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. Verse 15For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. Verse 16They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; Verse 17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Devotion
Before I started serving at Church on the Street, I underestimated how many people feel unworthy of God’s love and salvation. I never feared that those around me weren’t part of the great cloud of witnesses. This is not the reality of the unhoused and underhoused folks who are our beloved neighbors in Sioux Falls. So many believe they are not worthy of God’s love, and that they need to do something to earn a place in God’s “kin”dom. This text is tricky, especially in a world of perfection and ideals assigned to “being Christian” that control our lives. As people of faith, we are reminded that God’s gifts are greater than we can imagine. More than we can attain on our own. And more than just the desire for personal salvation. As we enter this week marked by All Saints Day, we are reminded of those who came before us and those who continue to live in and through us as we are one body of Christ.
Prayer
Merciful God, guide our hearts and minds to trust in your expansive love and mercy. May we boldly live out of your promises and continue to live out of love for our neighbors. Amen.
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