Lenten Reflection: Seven Letters

The following is the first in a series of reflections on the letters to the seven churches in Revelation.

For more reflections on these letters, check out the hub page for the series.

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.

Comments are always welcomed.

If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

Seven Letters

An Introduction

Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest.  His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters.  In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.  But he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one.  I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades."

Revelation 1:12-18 (NRSV)

Give me a revelation

Show me what to do

'Cause I've been trying to find my way

I haven't got a clue

Tell me, should I stay here?

Or do I need to move?

Give me a revelation

I've got nothing without You

From "Revelation" by Third Day

John has drawn the ire of the powers that be, as prophets are wont to do, and, as a result, he has been exiled to Patmos, an island off the coast of the area that will someday be known as Turkey.  I am referring not to John the Baptist or John the Apostle but rather to another prophet who will be remembered as John the Revelator.  The authorities have sought to put an end to his prophetic work, but, in the words of N.T. Wright, "Exile has given him time to pray, to reflect, and now to receive the most explosive vision of God's power and love."¹

One day, while on Patmos, John falls into a Spirit-induced trance, and he hears a loud voice behind him, commanding him to record in a book everything he is about to see and hear and to send it to seven churches on the mainland.  John turns around and sees seven lampstands.  Among them is standing an otherworldly Christ.  He has white hair, a radiant face, and eyes that shine like fire.  He is dressed in a long robe with a gold sash, and He has a sword in His mouth.  In His hand are seven stars.²

The seven lampstands among which Christ stands represent the seven churches in Asia Minor; the seven stars in His hand represent their pastors;³ and the book John will send them will later be known as the Book of Revelation, the last book in the Christian Bible.

Before John is shown anything, Christ dictates a message to each of the seven churches who will be receiving John's book.  These seven letters make up the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation.

If you read these seven letters, you might notice that each of them follows a certain structure.  Each letter begins with an attribution to Christ, including some description of Him.  What follows is an assessment of the church's situation, which might include both positive and negative elements.  Next, there are instructions Christ wants the church to follow.  The letter concludes with the promise of a reward for those who faithfully follow Christ's instructions.  The letters include imagery found elsewhere the Book of Revelation.

Over the next six weeks, during the season of Lent, I will be posting a reflection on each of the letters to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation.  A new reflection will be posted every six days.  These reflections will not be scholarly; they will be my own personal reflections on the letters, though I will be drawing from some of the commentaries at my disposal, especially Revelation for Everyone by N.T. Wright.  The reflections will not be exhaustive, for I will probably focus on only one part of each letter.  The reflections will not be definitive, for there is always more to be written on any passage of Scripture.  That said, any comments, questions, or insights will be welcomed.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the TRAIL Class at Travelers Rest United Methodist Church, who will be journeying with me through the seven letters.  As I lead them in discussions on these letters and share my reflections with them, they will be providing me the accountability I need to ensure that these reflections are written.

Lent is a time of repentance.  As I've noted many times on this blog, the Greek word metanoia, which is translated into English as repentance, literally means "changing one's mind."⁴  Repentance then, is a change of mind and heart that works its way outward as a change of behavior.  I suspect that the letters to the seven churches will give us a number of things to rethink in our lives.


Notes:

1. N.T. Wright.  Revelation for Everyone.  2011, Westminster John Knox Press.  pp. 9-10
2. Revelation 1:9-16
3. Revelation 1:20
4. Wikipedia: "Metanoia"

The photograph of the stained-glass window was taken by Hans A. Rosbach at the Bourges Cathedral and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.