ALL THINGS NEW John M, Buchanan
Revelations 2-6 Broad Street Presbyterian Church
January 1, 1984 Columbus, Ohio

In the one thousand nine hundred odd year existence of the Christian church
there have been some very difficult times, In fact, I've always imagined that people
in each age thought that theirs was the most difficult. That's a venerable old parlour
game which we. all play on occasion, Who among us hasn't gone a couple of rounds
of “I had it rougher than you" with children or friends: “I worked harder, had less,
studied more, and walked miles through blinding snowstorms to school each morning
without anyone ever driving me every time it's below 40°"?

It is difficult to be a Christian in every age. Each age presents particular
challenges. On measure, however, there have been a few truly awful times. And
everyone agrees that one of them was near the end of the first century, about the
time the last book in the Bible was written, the Book of Revelation.

The Roman Emperor was a devious and cruel man by the name of Domitian,
He was probably mad. He thought he was a god. A few of his predecessors had
encouraged veneration of the emperor ~ bowing one's head in his presence, or in
the presence of his statue. Domitian, on the other hand, insisted on it. He required
public sacrifices to himself as divine. He ordered his household to address him as
"Our lord and god.” He was even heard to refer to the bed he slept in as god's couch
and the food he ate as sacred meat and potatoes.

Domitian was particularly irritated by the Christians, And so he issued an
order. All known Christians were to be given a choice: they could worship him
. as their god, or they could be executed.

The persecution of 95-96 A.D, was very biiter., It's possible to talk about
‘now - but when you begin to think about it, it becomes unspeakable. Many, many

| people were simply put to death for their faith, Many ethers, denied their faith
- or at least worshipped the emperor with their fingers crossed. Fortunately the
Roman soldiers had ather things to do besides looking for and killing Christians,
and so the persecution didn't succeed in ridding the empire of this subversive element.
But it was an awful time to try to be faithful to Jesus Christ. (see Edward W.
Bauman, Introduction to the New Testament, p. 14Iff)

One of the reasons so many of those Christians were brave and strong and
true was a little book that they circulated among themselves, It was written by
a feisty old Christian who had been thrown in jail and exiled to the island of Patmos,
even before Domitian appeared. He wrote in a kind of code which the Christians

all understood but which thoroughly baffled the Romans. He called the Roman
Empire some very unflattering names; he poked fun at the emperors, and he assured
those scared people that God would be with them; that things would turn out all
right even though they were terrible at the moment, that not even death could
separate them from God's love, And it worked! John of Patmos told them that
the end was near: that something new and astonishing was about to happen.

He was both right and wrong by the way. The end of the world didn't come,
obviously. But in a very real sense the end of that age did. Something astonishing
did begin to happen almost immediately. Domitian was assassinated by one of
his servants who got tired, | suppose, of addressing him as lord and god, and the
next five Roman Emperors were friendly to the Christians. The persecuted church
grew and grew, and before long the empire became its protector.

Sen

But that little book, The Book of Revelation, during those dark days of persecu-
tion, helped to strengthen the resolve of some people who didn't have much hope.
It's too bad, by the way, that modern people can't seem to understand the Book
of Revelation and are as baffled by it as the Romans were. But that's another
story. The important point is that one of the fundamental principles of the Christian
faith is that the future is in God's hands: that God will be working in ways that
may not be noticeable at the time, but God will be in the future: we can count
on it.

That doesn't mean that the future will be easy or even safe. Domitian went
right on killing Christians until he died. It does mean that there is a power more
real, stronger even than death, and that is the power of God's love. And when you
understand that, there simply isn't very much that can scare you - or even worry
you much anymore.

On the first day of a brand new year, that is worth saying and hearing and
maybe even shouting - or at least singing about.

- —~
In a thoughtful editorial last week on the possibilities of Pe ae Reston.

told the unvarnished truth. “It's not easy and to many people may seem silly this
Christmas to write about peace and good will on earth." He noted that seldom
in recent years has there been more conflict and tension in the world. But before
we despair, Reston advised remembering that there have been other hopeless tangles
that were resolved by patience and the "unexpected turnings of events." He con-
cluded very much in the spirit of old John of Patmos..."Something new is happening,”
he wrote - all over the wrold: a new voice is heard today comir~ 1..o.n people who
“usually don't pay much attention to these things but have an instinct for life."
It wouldn't surprise me if Reston had just reed the 2ist chapter of the old Book
of Revelations. (New York Times, 12-21/83)

"We live in the time of the parenihesis...bracketed off from both past and
future" another wise observer said last year. "We have not yet embraced the future.
We have done the human thing: we are clinging to the past in fear of the unknown."
John Naisbitt concluded Megatrends also in words reminiscent of Revelation, "Al-
though the time between eras ‘s uncertain, it is a great and yeasty time, filled
with opportunity..individually, vrofessionally, institutionally - if we can only get
a clear sense, a clear conceptive of the road ahead.

"My God, what a fantastic time to be alive..." (Megatrends, John Naisbitt,
p. 249, 252)

None of us knows for sure what is ahead. The only thing certain is uncertainty.
We don't know about our health, our personal survival, our relationships, our voca-
tional progress, our personal or public business. And for some of us there are as
many negative factors as there are positive possibilities.

But for all of us, one thing is certain. The God who loves us is in the future,
The God who loves us enough to have sent a son to be born among us, is already
in the future. The God who loves us enough to give the life of a blessed son is still
the Lord and God of creation.

)

~3—

That's worth hearing on the first day of a brand new year.

Hear it now as it was written near the end of the first century, by an exiled
brother in Christ, to people who couldn't bear to think about their future. Hear
it ~ and be borne up by it.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the
holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down cut of heaven from God, appeared
as a bride adored for her husband; and I heard a great voice from the
throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, He will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with
thems he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall
be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any
more, for the former things have passed away."

And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new.."
Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water without price
from the fountain of the water of life..." (Revelation 2h1-4) Amen,