Friday 9 December

Zechariah 9:1-11:17

This tells of a day when the earth and the people of the earth will be shaken up like the letters in Boggle and will fall to spell “holyisthelordalmighty” (which I’m sure you’d agree would be the most awesome boggle word in the history of the game).  All the stories of the Old Testament, all the experiences of the people of God have been nudges and winks towards the one big event that will occur.  They have whispered of the coming peace for the nations, they have alluded to the ultimate destruction of despotic powers, they have screamed and bellowed about God’s saving desires.  And like someone looking at a reflection in a rippling pond Zechariah sees some bits of this day very clearly, and other bits not really at all.  He sees a gentle king riding on a donkey, he sees the breaking of the old covenant for the ransom of 30 silver coins.  He sees anger burning against the former shepherds and the Lord Almighty himself now caring for his flock.  He sees false powers being torn down and the rule of the gentle king extending from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.  And he sees peace for the nations and the strengthening of God’s people and restoration for them and compassion from their God.  Zechariah sees all these things happening on a day in the future.  But what he didn’t see (or at least what we don’t pick up from his words) was that this day would actually be two days.  Two long days, with the first one being about 40 years in length.  The Day of the Lord seen by Zechariah began sometime around Jesus’ baptism and it probably ended on the day in AD70 when Jerusalem fell.  It saw the establishment of the new king, the destruction of the temple (and all the trappings of  the covenant that went with that) and the promise of peace beginning to spread to the nations.  We have seen the First Day - it revolved around Jesus.  He was shown to be king.  But we have not yet had the Second Day.  We continue to wait for the job to be finished.  We continue to wait for Jesus to return.

Revelation 1:1-20

Wow.  That is quite a start.  It feels a bit like when you go bowling and your first throw is a strike.  You stare in slight disbelief, a little tweak of a smile in the corner of your mouth and you begin to hope that this will be awesome.  So let us start by laying out just how awesome this book is.  And to do that I think we need to get one thing straight right at the start - Revelation is not a book about the future.  Revelation is not really about the end of the world.  Sure it does contain some stuff about what is coming but the main thrust of this book and the adrenalin-pumping truth that is focuses on is what is going on now.  Revelation gives us an eye on God and his counsel, right now, this very day, this very moment while you sit here reading.  Revelation lets us squint with hands over our eyes at the unapproachable light, at the one whose face is like the sun shining in all its brilliance.  And in doing so we realise how teeny weeny we are.  Revelation shows us that our perspective is too tiny, that our human-centered analysis has been grossly misplaced.  Revelation reminds us again that there is only one Almighty and He sure as heck isn’t me and He ain’t even here on this earth.  Revelation even scorns our human obsession with time; with what is happening in the future at what we’re doing at 4.30.  It lifts our chin to the Alpha and Omega who was and is and is to come - the one who watches clocks spin round like they are fake dials on a toy.  He is no more dictated to by time than a builder is dictated to by his drill.  He is the one who loves us.  He is the one who has freed us.  He is the one who has made us his kingdom and priests to serve him forever.  So let’s fix our eyes on Him now and worship him now and fall as if dead before him now.  He is the Living One.  He is the firstborn from the dead.  And he is the ruler of the kings of the earth.

Psalm 140:1-5

Yeah, please do keep me from people who stir up war every day.