Laodicea

So really there are two special reasons for our celebration today. First, today is Christ the King Sunday. This is the day that everything we learn throughout the year leads up towards. Today we recognize that Jesus is the King of all and will reign for all of eternity. We will circle back to Advent and preparing the the coming of our Savior next week when Advent starts.

This week we also celebrate Thanksgiving. Some of us have already been celebrating. I appreciate my family for bringing me some of the food on Wednesday night. It was so good that I tried to eat very bite that night, but I couldn’t. So I had the rest the next day. For some people , leftovers are not as appetizing. Thinking about eating turkey again on Friday and Saturday of this week may not be as appealing as making sure we have some on Thursday. Sometimes we worry about who is cooking what on Thanksgiving, some of our beloveds are just not good cooks! Not only do we want the food to taste good, but we want the food to not make us sick either. If the foods that are supposed to be cold are warm and the hot foods are cool, that is a big red flag. No one wants Food poisoning for Thanksgiving. We want to see Jesus, just maybe not for this reason or this quick.

Pray and Read Revelation 3:14-22

Revelation 3:14–22 NRSV

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation: “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

Jesus says he is the AMEN. Amen is Greek for Truly or Verily if you are reading the King James Version. Jesus said that he is the Way, The Truth, and the Life. This is Him reminding us of this fact. If you have paid attention, Jesus has done this at the beginning of every letter. The first things Jesus says to each of these seven churches reminds them that He is their Leader, the One who died and rose again, Who speaks with the sword of Truth, eyes blazing like fire, feet like burnished brass, Who holds the churches in the palm of His hand along with the key of David to rule for all time. He is the Truth, and the Ruler of all of God’s creation.

Following His introduction which is different and brief for each church, he stats something that the church does well. Unfortunately, there is no good found in Laodicea, as was the same with Sardis if you remember. However, at least Sardis seemed to be alive. But here in Laodicea, they are neither alive, nor or they dead.

Laodicea had some wealthy citizens, those who have made a good name for themselves selling wool. Also, we could think that this town was a college town, well maybe not the same as our college towns today. There was a medical school in Laodicea. With all this wealth and knowledge, the people knew how to take care of themselves. They were so good at taking care of themselves that they really did not need Jesus.

Thank is a fatal mistake. I think we all know that we need Jesus. Everyone needs Jesus. However, they most likely also understood that their world needed Jesus. There is a difference, however in knowing that you need Jesus and living like you need Jesus. This is why Jesus says they are lukewarm.

What does it mean to be lukewarm? We need to ask ourselves that question. Are we on fire with the Holy Spirit, or cold and hard spiritually speaking? Let me ask you like this? Are you indifferent to the problems of this world? Do you truly care about those who may not have a Thanksgiving meal this week? Are you concerned for those who may not have family and friends to fellowship with during the holidays? Do you care more about making sure your own wealth and needs are met then allowing your heart to feel with the love of Christ? Do you work to provide for your family and give no other thought to how God can bless you? I am not saying that we should only rely on God to provide for us, that is the opposite extreme. I am not saying that we should not have joy with our family unless every hungry soul is fed. We know we will always have the poor among us. What I am saying it that there is more going on in the world then what we can see physically. When we think about only what we can physically see around us or care about only what we know and have, we miss a lot of God’s world.

Being lukewarm is the same as being unconcerned about anything or being indifferent or disinterested. Sometimes, being lukewarm can seem as a positive thing. When I think about getting my family together for Thanksgiving this week, I get excited to see everyone. However, we have many different personalities, ages, and lifestyles in my family. We try to stay away from talking about politics and sometimes we even have to watch how we say somethings. But, being kind with our words and not aligning ourselves with God’s commands are two different things. Being active in what God wants to do for this world and us being kind, both aligns ourselves with God’s word.

It is risky to be outspoken on our faith, and some people will hate us for it. However, when we go above and beyond to please God and to be a positive witness for our faith, there are eternal blessings. I think of Candice Cameron Bure, who is a TV star that I grew up with. She has been the star of many Hallmark Christmas movies over the years. However, Hallmark is expanding their reach and their movie’s storyline to be more inclusive. That seems like a good thing in this world. However, some of the decisions go against what she believes. So she made the decision to leave Hallmark Channel and has committed to star in tv movies for Great American Family Network which aligns more with her beliefs. She never said anything hurtful to anyone in particular, but did state her reasons for leaving. She has recieved much backlash for this and has been called a hypocrite and also told she is being bigoted. Her only response is, “I love you still.”

This world is only becoming more and more divisive. Our faith is contrary to the main belief structure of this world. It is coming back to the place as it was for the early church, were we can no longer sit peaceful on the sidelines and just wait and see what happens. We must figure out now how to love God with all that we all and love others as God love all others. We have to do this now and teach our children the same. God’s safe for this world is not safe and quite.

This is the final letter written to a church in this Book of Revelation. Jesus has had many things to say to each of these churches. What is interesting is that This whole Book was likely written only one time and then sent to each church one at a time so that they could all read each letter and the vision of Jesus’s return that followed. This makes sense because John would not have the capacity to write to each church individually. So, it is safe to say that each church had the opportunity to compare themselves to the other churches, right?

And now here we are, reading these letters and comparing ourselves to these churches two thousand years later. Do we show God’s love better than Ephesus? Could we stand in the face of persecution like Smyrna? Do know know the difference between false teachings and truth taught through the power of the Holy Spirit? Such lessons that the Christians of Thyatira and Pergamum needed to learn. Do we alive in Christ like Philadelphia or are we spiritually dead like Sardis? One thing for sure, we can not wait on the sidelines for Jesus to rescue us. We have to live out His Word! His Word is Alive as we should be. Jesus gives us His Way, His Truth, and His life. To be alive in Him is to live that out everyday and in every way possible. Wake up and live people! Be Alive in Christ! There are risk, but the blessings last for all eternity. Wake up and overcome this world only with the power of the Holy Spirit. Time is short! This is the main message to all the churches, then and now. Do not be afraid to show your faith and live out God’s love. This must be done now!

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.