May 5 2019 Thousands of Angels

May 5 2019 Psalm 30 *Revelation 5.11-14 "Thousands of Angels" [Native American Ministries Sunday] –Pastor Jacqueline Hines

The biblical book of Revelation is known as the most mystifying and bigger-than-life book of all. Revelation is also a super dramatic book. It depicts things we have little knowledge of such as angels, [slide # 1 angel on bridge] and strange heavenly creatures, [slide # 2 creatures] after all Heaven is out of THIS world. There is constant reference to gigantic beasts, wings, ferocious armies, lightning and thunder. They somehow invade our calm reality and puzzle us and distract us into a frenzy.

The bottom line of the book of Revelation is that there is an outrageous spiritual battle going on. In every battle, we sing with Martin Luther [slide # 3 Martin Luther] that daring preacher who was not afraid to speak out against injustice. He wrote around 1527 the words in German - Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. [slide # 4 A Mighty…] Martin Luther read the bible and understood that there is a spiritual battle going on. He was so clear on being a good soldier of the cross and a good soldier of the Lord that others, who understood that spiritual battles are real, named their sons after him.  

Many of God’s people understand that in every battle where justice and peace are being protected, God is a mighty fortress, as the song goes - “and though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed, his truth to triumph through us.”

There is no end to the issues and the spiritual battles both great and small with which the Church is called to contend. There is no end to those whom God prepares and equips to enter spiritual battlefields. [slide # 5 army of the Lord]

Scriptures remind us that we win battles with truth and faith. We win with weapons that are not physical automatic guns and bombs, though there are instances, I suppose, that God may use them, too. Our weapons are mighty. According to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, our weapons have the power to knock down arguments and any other thing that exalts itself against God’s knowledge. The power God gives us has the ability to force into submission every thought to obey God’s will. One thing we have learned in our journey of faith is that God asserts God’s power in God’s timing and in God’s way. Even when we think we are losing the battle, we do well never to go ahead of God and use our own power in our own way. No matter what, God’s way works best. [slide #  6 good wins….over evil]

This month the issue that we United Methodists are called to respond to is the well-being of our brothers and sisters who are Native Americans. [ slide #   7 Native American…] Each year all of us are invited to gather at Camp Innabah and learn something new about what is happening among the Native American community. Last Sunday, we were reminded that Native Americans are often missing in the media. The hundreds of Native Americans that are missing or murdered are not reported as often as others. In order to help us Methodists remember all of God’s children, we were asked to wear a red dress and several red dresses were displayed around the room as we worshiped. [slide #  8 red dress] One of the most notable red dresses was near the altar and it represented a missing three year old named Teekah Lewis from Tacoma, Washington. We called her name in worship along with dozens of others to remind ourselves that each of us is just as important as the least, the last, the lost!

Seeing one another as opposed to looking past one another is critical to our spiritual well-being and the spiritual well-being of the world. Knowing that God sees all of us as precious and valuable jewels honors God and honors us. Seeing anyone as less than beautiful in God’s eyes dishonors and disrespects God and God’s people.

In this morning’s text, we can feel a respect and honor that goes so deep. [slide #  9 John writing ] John, said to be the writer of Revelation, tells us of a mystical, spiritual experience he had. We do not know anything about the writer except his name is John and that he was in exile on the Island of Patmos because of his faith. This John is probably not John the Baptist nor John the beloved disciple, so we call this John, John the revelator or John of the island of Patmos of Greece.

No matter who he was, he gives us an urgent message. In verse 11 he says he looked….it is good to look….it is good to see…when John looked, he could hear better and what he heard was the voice of many angels; there were thousands of angels and they were singing, and they were singing in full voice!  We can envision the energy, the melody, the constancy of purpose as the angels were singing. There were a few shepherds who have firsthand experience of what John witnessed. As they were tending their flock by night they testified  – angels we have heard on high sweetly singing over the plains and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains, glory, glory, in excelsis deo, glory to God in the highest, in excelsis deo.

The voices get our attention because they are beautiful and they are good. Good voices speak peace to our hearts and minds, bring us joy and laughter. We can believe that hearing the voices of angels singing leaves us speechless, makes us cry, gives us goose bumps, gives us hope, lifts our hearts and takes us to a good place, and most especially, the voices of angels - draw us closer to our loving, creating God!

Thousands of angels singing is a message in itself. Thousands represent a superabundance, an over the top moment, more than enough of that which is good and Godly. Seeing and hearing thousands of angels singing is a very intense experience, such intensity just like the most subtle moments, often change us forever.

These Thousands of angels were not just singing, they were singing praises to God. [ slide #  10 angels singing] Of course, the purpose of praise is to protect a connection between the praiser and the praised. The purpose of praise is to perfect love so that it will last. The purpose of praise is to fulfil God’s purpose and dilute the danger of demonic destruction that allows the spilling out of irritation, anger and pride. The scripture is full of praise to God as well as praise to God’s creation, including us humans. Psalm 139 praises humanity saying we are fearfully (meaning respectfully) and wonderfully (meaning awesome) made, Psalm 17 says we are the apple of God’s eye. Jeremiah says we are loved with an everlasting love, we have been drawn with unfailing kindness. Human love and kindness is intermittent, God’s love and kindness is unfailing. No wonder the psalmist demands, Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord.

The sound of a thousand angels is just as powerful as a thunderous waterfall. Sound is a force to be reckoned with. Shouting to the Lord, as Psalm 98 encourages us to do, can lead to the falling down of our walls of Jericho that the enemy has raised against us. As Darlene Zschech wrote in 1993 - Shout to the Lord all the Earth, let us sing, Power and majesty, praise to the King Mountains bow down and the seas will roar, At the sound of Your name. I sing for joy at the work of Your hand, Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand, Nothing compares to the promise I have In You.

Sound changes the atmosphere and creates something new. When we listen to the voice of God, good things are stirred up and created in us. When we make a joyful noise of praise to God, good things are stirred up in the atmosphere and good is created in our world and beyond. God knows, we need the good.

Praise is contagious. That is why John tells us in verse 13 that he heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, ‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!

When we praise God, we become worshippers like the living creatures [slide #  11 living creatures] and the elders John describes in verse 14 that says - And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the elders fell down and worshipped. [slide # 12 they said “Amen” and the elders worshiped]

Worship means to bow down in one’s heart, to humble oneself, posture oneself below God rather than above God, [slide #  13 man bowed in worship] to put it even more vividly – to worship is to pros-koo-neh'-o – a Greek derivative meaning to kiss someone as humbly as a dog licking its master’s hand. Hearing God’s call to worship and praise and to bless one another with lowliness and humility, makes the world a better place for all of us.[slide # 14 globe  hands] Amen. [slide # 15 red dress]