Devotion for November 16, 2021

Revelation 1:4b-8
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

As we look toward Advent and Christmas in the weeks to come, we are well served to not overlook this week’s emphasis. This final Sunday of the liturgical year is “Reign of Christ” Sunday. The Gospel, the Prophet and the Psalm readings all point to recognition of Jesus as King, mockingly in the Gospel (John 18:33-37), hopeful in the Psalm (93), longingly in the Prophet (Daniel 7:9-14), and with finality in this passage from the Revelation of John. At some point we are all witnesses to Christ in our lives where we see, or where we are guilty of mocking, or where we are hopeful, or where we are longing. Here we are reminded that no matter our posture, Jesus reigns. Jesus is the faithful witness to the glory of God, and we are called to be the same even when we struggle, hope, doubt, long or approach the throne with confidence. Either way, grace and peace are ours to claim.