General Synod Daily Devotional: It's Not the End of the World

Scripture: Revelation 18:9-10 – “And the kings of the earth... will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, ‘Alas, alas, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’” (NRSVUE)

Yesterday was a particularly busy day for me, so much so that I am only now getting to my blog post today. But among the many things I experienced during plenaries, committee work, and exploring Kansas City, the thing that most stood out to me was the keynote address by Rev. Jenifer Butler. Her latest book, Who Stole My Bible?: Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny, and her address spoke along similar lines. She spoke of the dangers of Christian Nationalism (an oxymoron since Christianity has always been global and can never be limited to a single nation). And she spoke about no matter how some the Bible try to reduce it to a checklist for getting into heaven, it can instead be read as a way to resist worldly oppression.

She mentioned how the creation story in Genesis is less about how many days it took God to create the universe than how the universe is a place created out of love and a desire for goodness and that human dignity is founded upon being created in love from God’s image. This contrasted with other ancient creation stories built on a mighty hero slaying a monster and willing the world into being through violence. She highlighted the role of midwives Shiphrah and Puah who used nonviolent noncompliance to thwart the genocidal plans of the Pharoah.

Most significantly to me, she spoke about the Revelation to John was not a horrifying roadmap for the future of God’s wrath as much as it was a metaphorical vision of how one might resist oppression, such as the imperialistic might of the Emperor Domitian who exiled the author John to the barren island of Patmos. There was the hope that God would always find victory of the forces of tyranny and greed in the end.

When I was a teen, I was fascinated with all the colorful predictions of the future. I even did my undergraduate thesis about the development of books like Revelation throughout the centuries. But as I got older, I noticed that it wasn’t the numbers of angels or seals or plagues that mattered as much as the constant calls for endurance. Of the importance of witnessing to the truth even when those in power try to silence you. Of maintaining faith together when it would be so much easier to scatter in fear.

No matter what you think about the present course of events, Revelation reminds us that God is above those forces which we drive us away from the divine. I think this encouragement is especially vital today. It is also a reminder that how we engage with our Bibles is never as simple as a cursory reading or following a popular understanding. God is still speaking through our scriptures, if our eyes and hearts are open. And it might be the most important message we can receive when we feel most alone and afraid.

Prayer: Loving God, you created me to love and have taught me that year glory is always greater than the boasting of the mighty. Grant me wisdom and courage for the facing of these days. Amen.