“Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Favored are those who have been invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb.” He said to me, “These are the true words of God”  (Revelation 19:9, CEB).
 
“So, you have pain now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22, NRSV).
 
     Over the past four months, I’ve rediscovered a powerful truth. Grief is love with nowhere to go.  Those are the words of writer and poet, Jamie Anderson:

IF YOU HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE CURRENT SERMON SERIES, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS OF REVELATION:  Revelation: 13-19; IN PREPARATION FOR THIS SUNDAY’S MESSAGE.

“Then I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire. Those who gained victory over the beast, its image, and the number of its name were standing by the glass sea, holding harps from God. They sing the song of Moses, God’s servant, and the song of the Lamb…” (Revelation 15:2-3, CEB).

            My wife and I recently purchased a new laundry dryer. I’m not thrilled about shelling out a large sum of cash for an item that is utilized only four to five times a week. However, I do enjoy hearing the appliance sing when the clothes are finished drying.

     Much talk continues to be waged over the opening ceremonies of the thirty-third Olympiad in Paris. Many within the Christian community were offended by what they viewed as a slight against God. The controversy began over what has been perceived as drag queens eating at the table of Leonardo da Vinci’s creation of the Last Supper.

“Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed from every tribe of the Israelites” (Revelation 7:4, CEB).

     One of my daughter’s best friends is Gurneet. Gurneet’s parents are from India. Many Indian women are known to wear a bindi. Bindi comes from a word in Sanskrit which means drop. A bindi looks as though a drop of ink has been placed in the middle of one’s forehead.

     I once asked Gurneet about the significance of the bindi. What she told me was fascinating. For some, the bindi is a symbol of style. Theologically, the mark is known as the “third eye.”

IF YOU HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE CURRENT SERMON SERIES, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS OF REVELATION:  Revelation: 5-12

 

“Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one seated on the throne. It had writing on the front and the back, and it was sealed with seven seals. I saw a powerful angel, who proclaimed in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”   But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or look inside it…Then one of the elders said to me, “Don’t weep. Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has emerged victorious so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”