WITNESSES

Sermon for April 25, 2010

Scripture: Revelation 7:9-17

Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was assassinated in 1980 for preaching against the Salvadoran government because of the brutalities it was inflicting on the poor of his country. For him, it was not simply a matter of justice versus injustice. Archbishop Romero was driven by a vision, a dream. He put it this way, “We are prophets of a dream that is not of our own making.”

In the passage we heard earlier from the Book of Revelation, we hear a brief conversation that takes place in John's vision of God's throne room : “'Who are these robed in white…? These are they who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.'”

Let us pray.

When I was growing up one of my favorite comedians was Richard Pryor. (I realize this dates me, but I am at that age when being dated by some recollection happens with greater frequency.) I liked Richard Pryor's humor so much that I bought a record of him (yes, it was vinyl). You might recall that Richard Pryor was African American, and a lot of his humor played off African American stereotypes. One of my favorites is when he portrays a preacher addressing his congregation. When he gets to the actual preaching part he begins by paraphrasing the Book of Revelation: “It says in the Bible that a monster will come out of the sea with a head like a lion and a body like a serpent. Now I don't know about you, but I don't want to see nothin' like that!” And the truth is I don't think any of us want to see anything like that either.

The good news is that in today's passage from Revelation, we don't see anything like that—no monsters, no divine retribution. But, it is not your everyday scene. In Archbishop Romero's words, it is a dream that is not of our own making. It is not even the dream of the man who sees it, John of Patmos. It is a vision given to him by God. And through him, we see it and are given it, too.

What are dreams and visions but different ways of perceiving reality? In today's society I believe we are short on visions and dreams. I think one reason is because we have made them private and clinical, the function of an overly active or disturbed psyche, the kind of stuff that is safe only to speak about in privacy with our most trusted friends, or in psychotherapists' offices, or mental hospitals—definitely not in public, and definitely not in church. We have cut off visions and dreams from the weave of social and theological fabric in which they are made. When was the last time you told a friend about a dream you had, and that friend asked you what you thought the dream's theological and social implications were? And what you were to do about those implications? Who else you were to share the dream with? John's vision wasn't a solo event. Keep in mind that he was in the church—it's possible that he even was the pastor to the seven churches addressed in his vision. Also, keep in mind that the church over the centuries has claimed his vision as its own.

And what do we see in this vision, this dream he gives us today? We see a lot of people in white robes. That might be a bit strange, but you have to admit that it is better than monsters. Who are these people in the white robes circling God's throne, all happy and praising God? John tells us: “These are they who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” In the history of the church, these people are understood to be the martyrs—the people who have been persecuted and killed because of their faith, those who refused to deny that they were followers of Christ, those who refused to worship false gods. The emperors who persecuted these Christians believed that if you did not worship the emperor or other deities of the state, then you tore at the strings that held society together. Those who became martyrs were viewed by society as dangerous subversives. They were people of a dream that was not of their own making. They lived it and they proclaimed it.

You probably recall that “martyr” simply means “witness,” being a witness to someone or something, and being the witness itself. But as we know, “witness” is also associated with suffering, unmerited suffering (as if suffering is ever merited), and even death. Here's something surprising: early Christians were all expected to be martyrs—witnesses—but not everyone was expected to die. There were aspects of Christian life that weren't so public—teaching, conversion, celebration of the sacraments—but this did not negate the necessity of public witness to the vision that God gave. (It is important to keep in mind that no martyr wants to die: martyrs want life, not death). Nevertheless, it was and is likely that the people who follow Christ will experience conflict and hardship—people who face “the great ordeal” mentioned in today's text. All Christians were to give public witness to a supremely political and public fact: the kingdom of God had already arrived in the person of Christ, and this kingdom trumps all others. This is not something that those who have society by the tail want to hear. This is not something people filled with fear and hate want to hear. The Roman authorities in the time of John didn't want to hear hear it or see it. It challenged the ultimacy of their authority. It said that life was more than the empire, more than the empire's security. Can you imagine the Wall Streeters hearing this? Or, government officials? And to witness to the fundamental truth about God's intention for our life together, here and beyond, will create conflict. (Note the word “together”—being for each other generously as God is for us). // We learn from the early church that all Christians were expected, and are expected, to be witnesses.

For people in the early church, martyrdom was not the province of some elite. And in fact, we know it was an equal opportunity calling because women were martyred and honored just the same as men; there was no distinction based on gender. This is astonishing. It's even more astonishing in light of the Jewish norm at the time. Visionaries and prophet dreamers were typically men who served in the Temple ; and only men of the priestly lineage could go in there. But in today's vision, direct participation in sacrificial offering is open to all Christians—female as well as male, non-priest as well as priest. Today we are shown that there are no elite gathered around God's throne. This is a dream not of our own making.

Here's another amazing aspect to this vision. In the witness of the people who went on to wear the white robes, the dream is becoming real. Whenever they gave public witness to Christ, the kingdom of God was indeed breaking in and trumping all others. The kingdom was breaking in not through specially set aside or specially trained people, it was breaking in through any Christian. And for us, this means is that the kingdom can break in through you and me. This is definitely a dream not of our own making.

The people in the white robes are happy and victorious. In the ancient Middle East , white robes and palm branches were associated with triumph and joy. Palm Sunday is a good reminder.// The cool thing is that these white-robed people are victorious but not at someone else's expense. They are the ones who were persecuted. They are the ones who were murdered. The martyrs are not killing anyone or taking anything away from anyone; instead, they are offering more. Martyrdom—witnessing—is not a zero-sum victory; it hopes for and works for the fullness of life for all people.

Today's vision is probably the most inclusive gathering in the entire Bible. It's not just people from the twelve tribes of Israel who circle around God's throne. As the text says, there are people from “every nation, from all tribes,…[of all] languages.” It is racially inclusive; it is socially inclusive; it is gender inclusive. And the inclusivity doesn't stop there. It is even greater because it involves all of reality. It includes supernatural beings—angels and the twenty-four permanent attendants of the heavenly court, the elders. There are the “four living creatures”—one like a lion, one like an ox, another like an eagle, and the fourth like a human—who represent all of humankind and all animals—in other words, all creation. All are gathering, circling together in joy. That is one happy, inclusive scene! No wonder they are singing and praising God!

And we are to be prophets, witnesses of that vision—witnesses who proclaim it with our lives and our words in the face of anyone and anything that works to deprive us and others of the abundance of life. In this way we can manifest that dream in which people hunger and thirst no more, where people are not scorched by the sun, where they drink from the springs of the water of life, and find that every tear is wiped dry. Indeed, like the martyrs before us, we are to be witnesses of this dream that is not of our own making. And with those in the white robes we can say, “Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor, power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen!”

Rev. Dr. Heather Warren

April 25 , 2010

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