Wednesday 21 August 2013

Background

Welcome to heaven! In these verses we join in the worship thatgathers around the throne of God. This vision of heavenly worshiplies at the heart of Revelation, a book that is frequently puzzlingand often the basis for wild speculation. It was written when themost powerful empire the world had known - Rome - called everyoneto worship the Emperor. Christians, though, knew that only theliving God, and none other, is to be worshipped and adored. So thisis a vision which is both spiritual and political, heavenly andearthly. The throne room of God, says John, outshines themagnificence of any earthly ruler. God's glory is beyond ourwildest imagination.

John the Divine - the author of the Book of Revelation -certainly had a vivid imagination that combines poetry andprophecy. But his descriptionsof the worship of heaven drawsheavily on the Jewish scriptures, especially the visions of Ezekiel(Ezekiel 1) (from where he gets the imagery ofthe four living creatures) the call of Isaiah (Isaiah6) (which provides the opening of the hymn of praise: "Holy,Holy, Holy…") and the revelation of God to Moses on Mt Sinai.

The four living creatures (verses 6-10), with thecharacteristics of a lion, and ox, a man and an eagle, are oftenassociated with the four Gospel writers in Christian tradition andart. Here, though, they are a reminder that the worship of heavendraws in all creation. Not just humanity, but every living thing,is called to join in the praise of the God who creates andredeems.

The 24 elders who sit around the throne of God (verse 10) echothe words of the four living creatures with a hymn of their own:"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour andpower" (v. 11). The great songs of praise, in this passages and theones we read in the next two days, may well have resonated bothwith the worship of the Jewish synagogue and with the hymns andprayers of the new Christian churches. They have, in turn,influenced generations of Christian worship, from the EasternOrthodox tradition, where liturgy is a 'mirror of heaven' toCharles Wesley's hymn, "Love Divine", with its closing words: "Till wecast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love and praise!"

To Ponder

• Heaven, according to John the Divine, is centred on worship.How central - or not - is worship in your own life, or that of yourcommunity?

• Christian worship (to quote the words of John Wesley) was "bornin song". What kind of pointers does this passage give forChristian hymns and songs?

• How might it affect our relationship with the rest of creationif we thought of the whole universe sharing in the praise ofGod?