The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection GPS Guide for Saturday, 2 January 2021

 The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection GPS Guide for Saturday, 2 January 2021

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection <info@mc.cor.org>

Saturday, 2 January 2021

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection GPS Guide for Saturday, 2 January 2021

“Lord of lords”—forever!

Daily Scripture:

Revelation 17:14

14 They will make war on the Lamb, but the Lamb will emerge victorious, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Revelation 19:11-16

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider was called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war justly. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on his head were many royal crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He wore a robe dyed[a] with blood, and his name was called the Word of God. 14 Heaven’s armies, wearing fine linen that was white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword that he will use to strike down the nations. He is the one who will rule them with an iron rod. And he is the one who will trample the winepress of the Almighty God’s passionate anger. 16 He has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of kings and Lord of lords.

Reflection Questions:

In a powerfully symbolic vision, Revelation proclaimed Jesus' final Lordship over all of creation. Some symbols change little over time—good guys, for example, ride on white horses. Others take a bit more thought and study. As an example, the sword from the victor’s mouth was not meant as a literal piece of sharpened metal but was a symbol for the power of God’s word (cf. Hebrews 4:12). The vision used a double title—“King of Kings and Lord of Lords”—doubly inscribed (“on his robe and on his thigh”) to powerfully underline Jesus' ultimate rulership over every other power that tries to claim dominion over us.

Rome happened to be in power at the time John wrote Revelation. But Rome was hardly unique. Human rulers have often claimed divine status for their actions (e.g., Nazi soldiers wore belt buckles that said, in German, “God is with us”). Some, like the Roman emperors, have even claimed to be divine themselves. Scholars G. K. Beale and Sean M. McDonough said Jesus' title “is expressing the idea of ‘ultimate ruler over all kings’…. The name is taken from Daniel 4:37 Septuagint [Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament], where it is a title for God.”* The headlines continually report concerns about leaders in Russia, China, various terrorist groups, and many others. Do you trust that Jesus is “lord of lords” over all of them? In what ways does that trust form the basis for the hope in which we live, during Advent at the end of this hard, sad year and as the new year has dawned?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you are the Lord of lords. I cannot even fully grasp all the reach of that, but I can and do ask you to be Lord of my life, to shape me into the person you want me to be. Amen.

* G. K. Beale and Sean M. McDonough, comment on Revelation 19:16 in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007, p. 1144.

Want more reflection on today's GPS?

Read the GPS Insight by Brent Messick

Brent Messick

Brent Messick is retired now, but was formerly Church of the Resurrection’s Managing Executive Director of Operations.

The Book of Revelation is a challenging book in the Bible to read. There is so much symbolism about heaven, life and death, good and evil, judgement and justice. Today’s Scripture passages tell us emphatically that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Lord Jesus, since you are Lord of lords, why do you allow so much hardship for us? Why don’t you just make it go away? I have to admit that our faith has been tested in such a difficult year. Many of us have experienced hardships this year. We have lost loved ones. We have lost jobs. We have experienced social unrest and political division. Our lifestyles have been changed by the pandemic. So much turmoil. When will things settle down and go back to “normal”? (Sorry to be such a wet blanket in this blog post.)

In times of tribulation like these, I reflect on a message from Pastor Adam Hamilton. I am not quoting him directly, so these are my words. I agree with Pastor Adam when he says that God does not cause things like cancer, suicide, hurricanes, viruses, etc. God does not cause these things, but He is always there to love us, comfort us, and give us strength to help us get through our hardships.

This is not the time to abandon our faith. Just the opposite. It is in times like these that we can rely on Jesus. We need to trust our Lord and ask Him for strength, wisdom, and guidance to help us get through our hardships. Jesus is always there for us, in bad times and in good times. There is always hope.

Having said this, I bid good riddance to 2020. Welcome 2021 and the hope and expectations that come with it. I wish you a very happy and safe New Year.

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If you have a question or comment about today’s GPS or Insights blog, you can send it to GPS@cor.org. We read them all, but because of the number of responses we receive, cannot guarantee replies.

You might also like:

“We live for the Lord”

“There is one Lord”

“He is Lord of all!”

“Both Lord and Christ”

Honoring the newborn king

Or download this week's printable GPS.

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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.

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