First Presbyterian Church
October 17, 2021
10:00 AM
Order of Worship
CALL
TO WORSHIP
Our Lord is called Faithful and True,
In faithfulness, in
truth, and in righteousness will our Lord Jesus judge the world.
Through Him comes victory
and eternal life.
So shall we call our
Jesus King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Let us worship the Living God.
*Hymn
of Praise: “All Things Bright and Beautiful”
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise
and wonderful: the Lord God made them all.
1.
Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings, God made their
glowing colors, and made their tiny wings. (Refrain)
2.
The purple-headed mountains, the river running by, the sunset and the morning
that brightens up the sky. (Refrain)
3.
The cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun, the ripe fruits in the
garden: God made them every one. (Refrain)
4.
God gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell how great is God
Almighty, who has made all things well. (Refrain)
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (In Unison)
Holy God, through Jesus, you taught us that the last shall be
first and the first shall be last, but we often struggle with creating space so
that others might thrive. We are haphazard with your creation, choosing
convenience over conservation, and recklessly assume there will always be
enough to go around. We idealize the poor as “happy with their small portion”
and put off acts of justice that restore opportunities for the vulnerable. We
are often content for those on the margins to be “first” in the afterlife but
not in this life. And sometimes we fall prey to the world’s priorities, which
whisper that we must come in first and have the most and that we are always in
jeopardy of not being enough. Help us, O God, to lean into the example of our
servant savior, who models power in vulnerability and invites us to serve one
another
*SILENT PRAYERS
OF CONFESSION
ASSURANCE OF
PARDON (Based on Mark 10:45)
Family of God, our hope is in the Son of Man, who came not to be served
but to serve, and who gave his life as a ransom for our own. In the life, death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the debt of our sin has been paid, and we
have been freed for new life. In Jesus Christ, we are all forgiven.
*THE GLORIA
PATRI
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
INVITATION: “Dear Lord, I
need You, please come into my life today.
Amen”
SCRIPTURAL INTRODUCTION
Rev. 19: 11-21
The
Book of Revelations, also called ‘the Apocalypse of John’, the book of the End
Times. How do we begin to understand
this book? The one lesson that I was
taught early on to keep everything in perspective is to remember that the Good
Guys win. The rest is in the
detail. And what detail.
There
have been entire histories written seeking to use this book as their guide for
what is going to come in the End Times.
But here is a problem. Some
strands of thinking in the New Testament basically consider everything after
Pentecost as ‘the End Times’. It is not
hard to go down the rabbit hole of trying literal interpretations of one of the
most symbolic books in all of Scripture.
The
four riders of the Apocalypse, they have appeared in any number of ‘end of
times’ movies and television shows, War, Hunger, Disease, and Death. Although there are more popular names for a
couple, Hunger is “Famine” and Disease is “Pestilence” according to
Google. But there is not so much about
the White Rider, the one from heaven who rides against these four from hell.
Having
said that, if we have any fans of Lord of the Rings here, we know that Gandalf,
in the final battles, rides forth as ‘the White Rider’. The difference between that White Rider and
this White Rider is that in Lord of the Rings, their White Rider was still
capable of being beaten.
As we
focus in here, we are at the climactic battle in the book of Revelations. The White Rider is leading the armies of
heaven. The first part of our passage is
perhaps the most detailed image laid out for us in the Book of
Revelations. Who is the White Rider? Outside of the book of Revelations, the
leader of the angelic armies is said to be the archangel Michael. But here we see a description that is, in my
experience, rarely drawn out to its logical conclusion.
Because
we are used to the imagery of this person as being the Suffering Servant, the
Lamb of God sacrificed to take away the sins of the world, the Son of Man. Or we see him as the Judge, sitting on the
right hand of God the Father Almighty, taking on the mantle of the one who will
judge the world. But there is not a lot
of detail that describes Jesus as the Warrior, the Conquering Hero of God’s
army. We tend to discount the Cosmic
Victory because talking about war so triumphantly is not really in vogue
anymore.
But to
understand Jesus and what he did for us on the cross is to understand that a
cosmic victory has taken place, and that victory is described in our passage
this morning.
LESSONS: Revelations 19: 11-21
11 Then
I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful
and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12His
eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a
name inscribed that no one knows but himself. 13He is clothed
in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. 14And
the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following him on
white horses. 15From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which
to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he
will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16On
his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, ‘King of kings and Lord of
lords’.
17 Then
I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the
birds that fly in mid-heaven, ‘Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18to
eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of the mighty, the
flesh of horses and their riders—flesh of all, both free and slave, both small
and great.’ 19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth
with their armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and
against his army. 20And the beast was captured, and with it the
false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived
those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped its
image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with
sulphur. 21And the rest were killed by the sword of the rider
on the horse, the sword that came from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged
with their flesh.
SERMON: “Christ
Victorious: Jesus as Warrior” Rev. Peter Hofstra
Revelations 19: 11-21
Are you
familiar with the English actor and director Kenneth Branagh? Shakespearean actor of immense skill. If you know the MCU, he directed the first
Thor movie. Harry Potter fans? He played Gilderoy Lockhart. Fans of PBS Masterpiece Theater Mystery? He played Wallander. Most recently, he was on a promotional tour
with an extremely impressive beard, portraying Hercule Poirot in the remake of
“Murder on the Orient Express”.
I spend
too much time on his resume because of the first movie he ever directed. It was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry
V”, a historic play, a war play. Branagh
is in the title role. And to see him,
its like a line from Road House, where Patrick Swayze played the bouncer, “I
thought he would have been bigger.” But
he is not and he is magnificent. Henry V
led the British to tremendous victory over the French in the battle of
Agincourt. And in the movie, that battle
and victory are portrayed with great intensity.
But it is the scene after that lingers in my mind. It is a long, panoramic shot of the
aftermath, of the wounded, the broken, the dying, and the dead.
Henry V
has been described as an “antiwar” war film.
Our passage in Revelations reads like that movie. In the first part, it is all the pomp and
circumstance of a victorious army headed to war. In the second, it is almost gratuitous in its
detail of the birds called upon to consume the flesh of the dead. I will be honest and admit that I am not sure
if I have ever heard those latter verses shared during worship.
It is
that second part of the passage, sharing of the horrors of the aftermath of
battle, that make the first part something that is not generally a part of our
image of Jesus. Because the White Rider,
it can be nobody else. Yet it offers a
tremendous contradiction in who we understand Jesus to be. We know Jesus from passages like, “and a
sheep before its shearer is silent”. He
was the one who refused to answer those who were taunting him on the cross that
he should just come down if he were truly God’s son. Jesus said, “My peace I leave with you.”
But
here is the conquering hero. And what a
magnificent description of our Lord and Savior.
Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True… It
is possible, maybe, to try and link this rider to someone other than Jesus, if
this does not fit our image of Jesus.
“Faithful and True”, that describes Jesus, but it could be anyone of
divine obedience, but John quickly corrects that possibility…and in
righteousness he judges…here is a powerful link between Revelation and the
Gospel of John, where one of the focal points of Jesus is that He has been made
Judge…and makes war…but that we may not like as much…12His
eyes are like a flame of fire,…scary and overwhelming, and this is how
Jesus’ eyes appear to John in Revelations chapter 1…and on his head are many
diadems;…diadems, a multi-jeweled crown, hearkens to language describing
the twelve gemstones in the breastplate of the high priest and the language of
what the New Jerusalem is built of…and he has a name inscribed that no one
knows but himself…that one is a bit of a mystery to me, except to say that
only Jesus would have knowledge known only to Godself. 13He is clothed in a robe
dipped in blood,…language straight from his own crucifixion…and his
name is called The Word of God…Gospel of John 1, In the beginning was the
Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God… 14And
the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following him on
white horses…the armies get brief mention, but the fine linen, white and
pure, hearkens back to the transfiguration where Jesus appeared with Moses and
Elijah is purest white. 15From his mouth comes a sharp
sword…as with the eyes of fire, this is Jesus’ appearance in Revelation 1,
and more, the Word of God is described as a two-edged sword…with which to
strike down the nations…not simply judgement of the nations, but punishment
as well…, and he will rule them with a rod of iron…takes me back to
an image in the prophet Daniel, the descent of empires, gold to silver to
bronze to iron, Babylonian to Persian to Greek to Roman, the Iron Empire whose
might has never been challenged (up to the moment of John’s writing anyway)…;
he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty…this
is the inspiration for the Battle Hymn of the Republic, “He is trampling out
the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored”… 16On his
robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, ‘King of kings and Lord of
lords’…such inspiring power here, these are the climactic words in the
Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.
I have been a baritone in the choir pounding out these words as the
higher parts, the voices of the angels, are singing Forever and Ever,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah…
I had
to get up and walk away from writing the sermon for a few moments because the
chorus was ringing joyfully in my memory.
I don’t
know about you, but I am pretty well convinced that, although not mentioned by
name, the White Rider is Jesus.
In the
movies, in the runup to the climactic battle, the charismatic leader usually
gives the troops an inspiring speech of all that is to come. Here, we do one better. Jesus IS the Word of God, and his very
presence is the inspiration to victory.
Ultimate, cosmic victory.
This is
not World War 3 or 4 or whatever that we are talking about here. This is settling of accounts, this is Good
versus Evil, and the Good Guys win. But
as awe inspiring as this is meant to be, it has a huge downside. It has been coopted throughout history as
justification for every war that has been perpetrated in Jesus’ name. And where Christianity has been ascendant,
that is pretty much all of them. It is
woven into our own American patriotic language in times of war.
And
there is an honesty in this passage that, in the next verses, John does NOT shy
away from the aftermath of battle. Those
images are pretty gross. But we live in
a day and age where warfare has entered our very homes, Vietnam was the first
truly televised war, where we have been sensitized to the cost and the
aftermath of war like never before. So
we do not spend a lot of time with “Warrior Jesus”.
It is
easier to see Jesus in Mother Theresa or Nelson Mandela then in George
Patton. But that may just be a good
thing. We are reminded of the stakes of
war, life and death itself. And we are
reminded of who has the power of life and death in their hands, our Lord Jesus. We humans, we have a pretty frightening
ability to wield the power of death, but not life.
And in
this world, there are no absolutes. In
war, there is never one side that is completely evil or one side that is
completely good. There is no such thing
as a clean war. Innocents get stuck and
suffer from every side. Even in the
final, cosmic battle between Good and Evil, we are not left with a clean,
sanitized version of its aftermath. And
I think that is a good thing. We can
learn from this.
Because God draws upon human
experience to understand divine reality.
The glory of the glittering army setting off to war is an extremely
potent image in the hearts and minds of humanity. Freedom is protected, justice is served, evil
is vanquished, all that language of warfare finds its roots in what God has
accomplished for us in Jesus Christ. We,
as human beings, have a tremendous ability to delude ourselves. We sent our young people off to war and, for
a time, block out our knowledge of the consequences. Jesus leading us into war, it’s the war where
there will be no consequences for the winning side. We will come back alive and delighted in the
knowledge that we have overcome evil.
That’s the image God uses to help us to understand what God’s plan is
going to accomplish.
Because
its not watching the war. Its about
keeping our eyes upon Jesus. It’s about
us understanding how Jesus is love, how Jesus is justice, how Jesus is
victorious over sin and death, over the devil and the forces of evil. Jesus Lamb of God, Jesus Warrior, Jesus
Suffering Servant, Jesus Judge, Jesus Friend of sinners, He is all of that and
so much more. Amen.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (The Apostle’s Creed)
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by
the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose from
the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the
Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and
the life everlasting. Amen.
PASSING OF THE
PEACE
THE OFFERING OF
OUR TITHES & GIFTS
ur God trusts us to be agents of change
and love. May we respond to the generosity of our God and to God’s ceaseless
hope in us by serving God through the sharing of the gifts of our time, toil
and treasure.
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God, from
whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him
above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*PRAYER OF
DEDICATION
God of
love, we know that all good things come from you. As we return these gifts to
you, we pray that they will bring you joy. We pray that you will show us how to
use them to serve you, your church and your people that you may be glorified.
We pray this in the name of the one who modeled servant love for us, Jesus
Christ. Amen.
JOYS
AND CONCERNS
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
God of our joyful days and
our aching days, we give thanks that we can trust you with the heaviest parts
of our hearts, and so we bring to you the burdens of our complicated world, and
we ask you to lighten the load. Yet, even in the midst of an avalanche of
challenging news, we spot the sliver of moon in the night, and so our prayer of
longing is punctuated by gratitude. Hear both, our cries for relief and our
warbling song of joy, O God. Sometimes our words of lament get stuck in our
throats, but we yearn for a better world — one that brings to life your plans
for wholeness and well-being to fulfillment for all. Heal our warring madness,
and teach us the ways of peace with our global neighbors, within our polarized
society, and in our local communities. Breathe life into the lungs of those who
are trampled down. Turn the hearts of oppressors. And stir our compassion and
energies when indifference sets in for other people’s struggle. We raise to you
the cries of those who may be feeling forsaken: those longing for relief from
natural disaster, women and girls in societies which limit their opportunity
and access to power, refugees who long for welcome and safety, overburdened
healthcare workers, and all who wonder if someone — anyone — will take notice
of their pain and extend comfort and hope. Thank you for small signs of
kindness and possibility in days that are bleak — the red bird perched on a
bare branch, one hand brushing another in kindness, the familiar tune of “Happy
Birthday,” the smell of baking bread. Sometimes our words of lament get stuck
in our throats, and so, O God, we carve out this silence for our hearts to
speak to yours, to trust you with our wounds, our dreams long buried, our
yearnings for those most dear and the fractures in our relationships, Listen to
our thoughts and our meditations, O God. Thank you for small signs of
possibility and fresh hope that sparkle amidst the fog of ache — laughter that
surprises us, children’s imaginations, a perfect crisp apple, the first
promising notes of a song we know by heart. We are grateful that you hear our
prayers whether we are brimming with joy, seething with anger, crying out for
justice, or sighing with grief. Hear us now, as we turn to the reliable words
of the prayer for all our days, the one that Jesus taught us to pray, saying,,
Our
Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory
forever. Amen.
*CLOSING HYMN: “Love Divine,
All Love Excelling”
1. Love
divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven, to earth come down; fix in us thy
humble dwelling; all thy faithful mercies crown! Jesus thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation; enter every
trembling heart.
2.
Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast! Let us all in
thee inherit; let us find that second rest. Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be; end of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.
3. Come,
Almighty to deliver, let us all thy life receive; suddenly return and never,
nevermore thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, serve thee as
thy hosts above, pray and praise thee without ceasing, glory in thy perfect
love.
4.
Finish, then, thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be. Let us see thy
great salvation perfectly restored in thee; changed from glory into glory, till
in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in
wonder, love, and praise.
*BENEDICTION
*THREE FOLD AMEN
Elements of Order of Worship Liturgy written by Teri McDowell Ott.
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