Revelation 19:6-9
"And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
On
this last Sunday in the church year, at Thanksgiving time, we remember that
harvests lead to laden tables. Our national story is one of hardship, Pilgrims
trusting Providence, then prosperous harvests. This is a pale but true shadow
of God’s big story of His church in the world. Revelation tells the story well:
the serpent has it in for us, and gets helpers like the beast to help him.
Historically this has been popular opinion hostile to Christianity and
tyrannical governments trying to stamp us out. But every week, God invites us
to look ahead to the end of the story, to the marriage supper of the lamb. We
sit here acting out how it’s going to be. God’s enemies overthrown, His friends
sitting in peace, triumph, and joy at a feast because the Lamb has conquered.
We
often look back at the Lord’s Supper in solemn reminder of the cross and what
Jesus did to atone for our sins before God. We ought also to look forward at
the Lord’s Supper to the coming triumph, even to taste a bit of it now. As we
sang earlier, he will bring the fruitful ear
to store in his garner evermore. Even so, Lord, quickly come, to thy
final harvest home, gather your people in, free from sorrow, free from sin,
there forever purified, in thy presence to abide.
11/24/13
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