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This fall the Thursday Bible study at St. Stephen’s Church explored the Book of Revelation. I can’t seem to remember hearing passages from Revelation in church growing up. Maybe that’s because my church avoided this sometimes-gnarly tome. More likely it’s because I don’t remember much of any scripture from those days. Fast forward about 20 years, I went to school for way too long and seemingly made up for lost time.
Revelation shares much with the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, including our friend Amos. We hear from him more in Advent than any other season. These books have their own unique histories; lumping them all together isn’t very helpful. Yet they do share some similarities. Justice is at their heart. They don’t leave much room for rationalizing and obfuscating. Each in their own way, they proclaim a simple truth: God desires the flourishing of God’s people; therefore injustice—anything which “corrupts and destroys the creatures of God” (The Book of Common Prayer, page 302)—angers God.
Growing up I learned my church was proud it didn’t believe in an angry God. As I’ve gotten older, and experienced some ups and downs in life, I’ve been comforted in a God who is angry. . . angered by injustice. The reality is that you and I want to trust in a God who is not impartial in the face of cruelty. This is how we can find a sense of hope amidst the failings and injustices of our world. If the truth is that God doesn’t care about suffering or God is simply taking a “neutral” position on the matter, we’re toast.
Yet here’s the good news, friends, today, this Advent, and every day:
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147: 2-3
Thanks be to God.
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