Saturday after Jubilate Sunday
Posted on April 27, 2024 by under
Scripture: Revelation 7:9-17 (NKJV)
7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and 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 dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Devotion
In theology, we distinguish between the “Church Militant” and the “Church Triumphant”. These are not two separate churches, but two parts of the one, holy, Christian, and apostolic Church (Nicene Creed). The “Church Militant” is that part made up of the saints still living in the world, because they are constantly at war (militant) with the devil and his children. The “Church Triumphant” means the saints who are now in heaven, because they have triumphed over the devil and are now beyond his reach.
St. John has a vision of the Church Triumphant. And what he sees looks a lot like a Church Service: they are wearing special clothes, they are surrounding God’s throne, worshiping Him with a confession of faith, and God Himself is in their midst. So, in the Divine Service, Christians gather around the altar of God, they sing and confess their faith before God, God Himself is with them by means of the Word and sacraments, and—in confession of this—Christians often dress up. All this is on purpose. Because there is one Church, with members both in heaven and on earth, the Divine Service on earth reflects the worship happening in heaven.
Collect: Almighty God, Who showest to them that be in error the light of Thy truth, to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness: Grant unto all them that are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s Religion that they may eschew those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
