Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

—Revelation 5:13

There is a lot going on this week. We are wrapping up our Home Group Bible study this Sunday after a 13-week run. (You can continue to check out the curriculum; it’s great Bible study material!) This Sunday is our One Worship service outside at 11:00; we will confirm young people in our church and baptize one upon confession of faith. And for me, there’s also the closing of a chapter in my own life (Lord willing) when I defend my doctoral thesis Thursday. In fact, if you are reading this Thursday morning, I covet your prayers this afternoon.

With all of this going on, I think it is fitting that we will be reading from Revelation 1 and 2 this Sunday. The passages we will cover are full of promises and also praise to God in Christ because of who God is. Revelation 1:4 tells us that the grace we are given we also bestow on one another because God is eternally faithful and has called us to himself to remain faithful till the end. Revelation 2:17 tells us that if we endure by clinging to Christ, our names, our identities are hidden in God with Christ as we are fed the “hidden manna,” the life-giving presence of Jesus himself who fed Israel, redeemed us, conquered death, birthed the church, sustains us in hope, and will return to judge all things.

That we are confirming a new generation of Christ followers on Sunday makes a fitting end to our studies because every endeavor we undertake as the church equips us for this unique work of giving witness to God’s redemptive story. To that end, please pray for our confirmands and our youth program, that we may be blessed to continue to disciple our young people faithfully and that they might grow into “maturity, the full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

Strangely, this hope also intersects with my own reflections this week as I finalize my doctoral work. You see, not only are we the church called to be disciples and disciple others as we worship Christ and bear fruitful witness, we are also called to represent or bear God’s image to the whole created order. To put it another way, being fully human as Christ was fully human is to take on the full vocation of reflecting God’s glory throughout the entire cosmos so as to give all things an opportunity to declare the glory of God.

Take the passage I shared above from Revelation 5:13. Revelation 4 and 5 are absolutely gorgeous chapters, full of rich imagery that has nothing to do with prognosticating end times. Instead, they imagine the entire cosmos set ablaze with God’s glory, and all things praising God as they were created to do. However, each does so in their order. The four living and strange creatures (ripped right from the pages of Ezekiel 1) that surround God’s throne and the twenty-four elders have sung their song glorifying God. Next up, the angels sing their song of praise along with the elders and the creatures in numbers too great to count. And finally, it is in Revelation 5:13 that we read for the first time that “every creature” in creation sings its song of praise to God.

Here, we are asked to imagine all things, every type of creature that draws breath (or whatever it uses for cellular respiration) singing its own unique song of praise. Whale song. Bird song. The song of the depths sung by fish and Leviathan. From rudimentary beginnings to far distant forms as life echoes across time, all things are united in praise here. And they do so as they are equipped and prepared to do by the praise of human beings in chorus with the heavenly hosts.

In other words, from human mouths voicing praise, all creation comes to find its voice and contribute its song to the glory of God. This single passage reveals what creation looks like when we take our rightful place as stewards of the garden, tending it and naming the creatures so that they take their rightful place (Genesis 2:15, 19). In Jesus Christ, the totality of our creaturely existence is destined to sing God’s praises. That means that we are destined, in him, to mediate that glory to all aspects of and relationships within life so that all things, great and small, find their center in the Lord Jesus.

In all that we say and do, we are foreordained to be witnesses! Soli Deo Gloria!

In Christ,

Pastor Sam

9:00: In person: 104;

11:00: In person: 65;

Pastor Sam defends his doctoral thesis today. Please pray for his success! On it turns the conclusion of his studies and graduation with his doctorate at the end of the month.

On May 23 at 10:00 a.m. the session will meet in the chapel with adults interested in joining the fellowship of FPC. Prospective members should bring their New Member Information form with them. If you are unable to be with us on this date, or if you have questions, please contact Dave Welch at 423-764-7176 or dwelch@fpcbristol.org.