When I first
looked at today’s readings I felt overwhelmed and befuddled. In 2 Chronicles
Abijah’s army of Judah, outmanoeuvred and outnumbered by Jeroboam’s forces of
Israel, calls upon the Lord and prevails
in a bloody battle involving hundreds and thousands of deaths. In Haggai the
ambitious yet faltering temple rebuilding project receives much-needed
encouragement - and a messianic prophesy. Over in Revelation we are presented
with a dazzling, mind-boggling otherworldly scene of praise to God. It all
seemed far away and disconnected from day-to-day life in Bristol in the 21st century.
Of course, I was
wrong.
We are involved
in a spiritual battle in which kingdoms are fought over and countless souls are
at stake – a battle in which we may feel outmanoeuvred and outnumbered at
times, but which can nevertheless be won if we rely upon God. There is a church
(albeit of people, rather than bricks and mortar) to be restored and built up,
encouraged by a vision of the coming of Christ. As an act of worship, the way
we live our lives down here on earth might not have the spectacular backdrop
described in Revelation 4 but it will be received by God nonetheless.
(member of the congregation)