Revelation 21 9-14, 21-27 2007 Easter 6
Easter 6, May 13, 2007 (Mother’s Day)
Revelation 21:9–14, 21–27
“Our Mother Is Adorned with Glory”
This is the last Sunday of Easter before the celebration of Christ’s ascension this coming Thursday. Our readings for this day all talk about the glory of God being revealed, revealed in the past, revealed to us now, and promised for the future. Through the preaching of St. Paul, God’s glory came to Lydia, whose conversion is the subject of our First Reading. The theme of God’s spreading glory by Christians to other people in their native lands is in the Gospel from John 16. In the Revelation of St. John we see that God’s glory will ultimately be revealed and reflected in His Church, the Bride of Christ, and the Mother of all Christians.
On this Mother’s Day we gather today honoring not only our earthly mothers, but also our spiritual mother, the Church. Most of us don’t think of the Church as a mother, yet this language isn’t foreign to Lutheranism. In our Large Catechism, Luther writes of the Church in this way: “For in the first place, the Spirit has His own congregation in the world, which is the mother that conceives and bears every Christian through God’s Word” (LC II 42). We behold our spiritual mother in Revelation 21. This is the text that we will meditate on today and from it we learn that our Mother, the Church, Is Adorned with Her Children, and it reflects the Father’s Glory.
Yes, as Christians, our mother is the Church. What is the Church? The Church, properly speaking, is not just an earthly body. While it is made up of physical human beings, its unity, its holiness, its glory are connected to its spiritual existence. To describe it, the Lord, through St. John, describes it with super-earthly imagery: The Church is “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” as vs. 9 describes, “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." This bride, the Church of Jesus Christ is described as the, “the holy city Jerusalem” (v 10). And, 11 “having the glory of God.” This glory is not her own. Rather she is clothed in the glory of her groom, Jesus. For as the glory of the Father was reflected in Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ’s glory is reflected in His Church, His bride, and our mother.
How does a person become part of this church? Well, just as earthly children are born to earthly mothers and into earthly families, as the children of God we too are born into God’s spiritual family through a spiritual birth.
Like Jesus Christ, we are conceived by the Holy Spirit. This happens as we hear God’s Word and as His holy name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is placed upon us in baptism. We are born through the “womb” of the Church: the baptismal font. In 1 Peter we are told, 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you…”We are begotten by God. That is born of Him to live in the hope of Jesus Christ and His resurrection, and ours.
Just as the crown of motherhood is her children, for we can’t properly call a woman mother without children, our mother, the Church, is also adorned with her children. St. John tells us she is adorned with the names of her children, the sons of Israel, which are written on her great walls. She has the glory of God. Her light is like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
This mother’s day may woman will be crowned with the gift of jewelry. It is a common, if somewhat expensive gift for Mother’s Day. Moms all over will open velvet-lined boxes to discover rings and bracelets and necklaces. Some of this jewelry will be decorated with beautiful stones, one for each child. If the child was born in November, the stone would be topaz, symbolizing faithfulness. Or, if born in October, the stone would be opal, which indicates hope. And May’s stone is emerald, signifying love. Using these precious gems, based on the months in which her children were born, a mother can adorn herself with great beauty. She is adorned with reminders of her own children. ///But even more important, that which honors a mother most is her children, for as the psalmist sings, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Ps 127:3).
The Church has been adorned by her husband, the Lamb, Jesus Christ. He has adorned her with the gems of her children at a very expensive price. You are the gems of God. Jesus sought you out as His precious jewels, like the pearl of great price. To purchase you, Jesus sacrificed everything. First He set aside His heavenly glory and became one of you. He became a man even though He was in fact God. He humbly lived in sacrificial service. Then He paid the ultimate price. He gave up His life on the cross. Why? I do not completely understand. Perhaps it is true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When I look at humans, far too often I see their imperfections, their blemishes, their sin. In fact, I do not have to look at other people to know these things. I simply have to look at myself. In this life I am hardly a gem. Yet, God, and our Lord Jesus loved me, loved you, so much that Jesus took our imperfections, blemishes and sin upon Himself at the cross, and for these He died. As I am forgiven, as you are forgiven, and as God has created a new spirit within each and every one of us we have the perfection and glory of Jesus Christ. This is now how God sees us, as His precious gems, His children, His glory and His Holy Church.
So precious are His children that Jesus Christ protects them with “a great, high wall” He promises to protect us from the enemies of God, gathering all His saints in safety. The Lord sets the Church apart, making her holy, making us holy, through “the washing of water with the word.
Because of the grace of God, as we have been made part of His family, we adorn our spiritual mother the church. We reflect the father’s glory like beautiful gem stones. How do we do this. God’s glory, Jesus Christ’s glory, are reflected as we confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died for our sins, and that we bleilieve that He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. We reflect our Saviors glory as we speak of Him, as we confess our faith in Him, as we share the gospel with each other and with the people of the world. As Christ works in us to continue His ministry, His glory is reflected in our daily lives, just as it was reflected in the disciples lives, and just as it was reflected in St. Paul’s life and ministry.
Conclusion: A mother’s greatest adornment is her faithful children, just as the Church’s is her saints. Like precious jewels, we reflect the glory of the Father, sharing in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His radiance shines upon us, his bride, glorifying us before men, protecting us from the darkness and evil of God’s enemies, and making us a holy people in this world. We shine as lights in this world, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s] own possession, that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9). In this way, we honor our mother, the Church, on this Mother’s Day.[i]
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[i]Daniel P. Mackey, Appleton City, MO