Revelation 21:10–14, 22–27

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Mother’s Day/ baptism of Israel David

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." ¹⁰And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹²It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ¹⁴The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ²²I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. ²⁶The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. ²⁷Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

CPR notes:

theme: our mother, the church, is adorned with her children, reflecting the Father’s glory.

That hearers see the bride of Christ, their mother, the church, adorned with glory and see themselves her children in that same glorious light.

outline:

What is the church?

Our mother is the church v-9-11

The church is not an earthly corporation

The church is spiritual, described with supraearthly imagery

the church is the bride, the wife of the Lamb

the church is the holy city, Jerusalem

as the church we share in the life of Christ and his glory

like Christ we are conceived by the Holy Spirit

we are born through the womb of the church, the baptismal font (I Pet 1:3)

Our mother the church is adorned with her children vv12-24

She is adorned with the names of her children, the sons of Israel, which are written on her great walls.

He husband, the Lamb, has adorned her with these children at a precious price.

Jesus seeks out precious jewels v21, pearls Mt 13:45-46

Jesus sacrifices everything, even himself to purchase those pearls Mat 13:45-46

So precious are these children that Christ protects them with a great, high wall

it protects her from the enemies of God gathering the saints in safety Ps 55:18, 22; John 16:33b

It sets the church apart, making her holy through the washing of water with the word Eph 5:26

She is kept pure and clean and no unclean or false thing can enter her v27

Adorning our mother, we the children, reflect the Father’s glory

She is presented in his splendor Eph 5:27

Christ’s great love for his bride in sen in his death on the cross Eph 5:25

An since Christ has sacrificed himself there is no need for a place of sacrifice—the temple v22

we share in that sacrifice, participating in the death of Christ Rom 6:4; Col 2:12

Christ’s glory and majesty, his splendor, is seen in the resurrection I Cor 15:42-43

The holy ity reflects the glory of God—jasper, pearled gates, golden streets all act as mirrors

Christ’s earthly ministry reflects the glory of the Father

Christ’s continued work through the Church also reflects God’s glory

In Paul’s ministry, God’s glory is revealed Acts 16:9-15 first reading

In our daily live we reflect God’s glory Dan 12:3; Phil 2:15

True glory is seen in Christ v23

The resurrected one is the newly risen sun Is 60:1

Behold the light Chrit shines upon you Ps 67:1-2

Conclusion: a mother’s greatest adornment is her faithful children, just as the church’s is her saints. Like precious jewels, we reflect the glory of the Father, sharing in the death and resurrection of Jeus Christ. His radiance shines upon us, his bride, glorifying us before men and protecting us from the darkness and evil of God’s enemies, and making us a holy people in this world. We should be as lights in this world, ‘A CHOSEN RACE….” I Pet 2:9 In this way we honor our mother, the church, on this Mother’s Day.

Problems with CPR outline:

Too complex

Short on law; does not rightly divide law and gospel. It never tells that we are sinners or that God hates and punishes sin.

I can follow the theme of the church in its splendor. The church is us. in our baptism we are joined to the church, begotten by the church through word and sacrament and this vision of splendor, the pearls, the jewels describe us.

Yet we are simul iustus et peccatur. We need to be washed by the blood through faith, by daily repentance and turning to Christ. Still, at the same time we are iustus and this vision describes us, because this vision describes the glory and splendor of Jesus Christ.

There is not more temple in the city because there are no more sacrifices offered: Jesus Christ offered the sacrifice for all time. It is finished.

It is a new city because the old has been done away with. The old is our sinful nature. The old man is drowned in baptism and a new man born; created in the image of God. This new man is what is adorned with the splendor and glory of Christ and is his bride which he presents spotless and without stain to his father.

When we look at ourselves we do not see this splendor. We see sin and corruption. We see vile people, full of rot and corruption who deserve not the splendor and glory see here, but the eternal fire; cast into the lake of fire. But what the eyes of faith see is that our sin and corruption have been washed away and we are remade new, not just renovated, but reconstructed from scratch as the glorious bride of Christ. This is what John saw in his vision of heaven. He saw the new Jerusalem, the new holy city as it will appear to us on the last day after all sin and evil are wiped away. It is the consummation of what we are waiting for.

Law and gospel:

The law is only inferred from this text. In his vision of the new Jerusalem, he states that nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose name are written in the Lamb’s book of life. The existence of evil, sin, impurity, deceit are acknowledged, but none of these things will be in the new city.

Gospel: the gospel is seen here in the vision of the new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem is the church, the bride of Christ. We are the new Jerusalem and the glory and splendor of the new city is our glory and splendor. The names of all the children of God, the inhabitants of the new city, those who are begotten of the new city through word and sacrament are written on the walls. The walls are there to protect us from the enemies, sin, death and the devil. In this city all our needs will be met directly by God himself. Now God meets our needs through means and vocations. But then he will directly fulfill our needs and sustain us without means. In the new city there is not temple, because the sacrifice has already been accomplished and also because there will be no more sin. There is no need for further sacrifices because all sin is gone and will not be allowed into the city.

The wonderful promise and what God does for us: Gospel—God in Christ has recreated us as his new city, the bride of Christ, that is adorned in splendor. We are adorned in Christ and his glory and splendor becomes ours when we are begotten of him in baptism. The means of grace are entrusted to the city, so that the city, the church, is also our mother. As Jesus was begotten of the HS in the Virgin Mary, so we are begotten of the Holy Spirit, through word and sacrament, in the womb of the church. In baptism God makes us his children and says to us; as he said to Christ, thou are my son, today I have begotten thee.

Mother’s Day connection: As today we honor our human mothers who gave birth to us in the flesh, so also our attention is directed to our spiritual mother, the mother who gave us spiritual birth in our baptism; the church.

References to church as mother:

Revelation 12:the woman who gave birth to a son and that dragon wanted to eat it. The dragon also persecuted the other offspring of the woman. The other offspring are us, the woman is therefore the church.

Luther refers to the church as our mother.

There is an obvious parallel between Mary, the mother of Jesus who was begotten by the HS, and the church, our mother, and we are begotten also of the HS through the means of grace.

The splendor of the church, the new Jerusalem, is really the splendor of Christ in his exaltation. When we are in Christ he gives us what is his and we share in all that is his and that he is. Therefore, we share in the splendor of Christ. The jewels and the pearls were all given to Christ who then shares them with us as we are in him they become ours through him.

(This is like the blessings of the beatitudes. The beatitudes describe the blessings the Christ receives from the Father for he is the one who did all these things. But in Christ we become as Christ and receive all that is Christ’s and have done all that Christ did because he did it for us, on our behalf.)

The joy of this verse is what the glory that Christ shares with us, or that is given to us in Christ. It is Christ’s glory which becomes ours in him, when we are begotten of the HS in our mother, the church, through the word and sacrament. When in baptism we are joined to Christ and all that he is and possesses becomes ours.

Purpose of this text and sermon: This text is recorded in scripture for us, or John was given this revelation in order to encourage the church on earth, the church militant, suffering and struggling in this world, by having a chance to see what was coming; the glory, the final goal of the New Jerusalem in all her glory and splendor, where God would dwell forever and she with God.

Resolved: Our joy and comfort is not in the present, but in what God promises for eternity.

Claim: Here and now are nothing but sin, suffering and death.

Claim: we are sinners and deserve death.

Claim: we are bags of rot and filth. There is no glory in us or anything that looks glorious.

Claim: but in the eschaton there will be a new city, the holy city of God that will be glorified. It is glorious because of Christ’s glory. In the glory of the city we see the exaltation of Christ. He is exalted because he died to save his people from their sin.

Claim: the new city will shine with the glory of God, and it brilliance will be like that of a precious jewel, like a jasper.

Claim: the glory of the city is the glory of Jesus Christ, the Lamb. It is the glory he earned and deserves because he died to purchase a people for God. it is his exaltation.

Claim; the glory of Christ is given the city where he dwells. He covers his city with his glory. This is the vision of what we will be in eternity and what we are in part now in Christ, covered with his righteousness. We are this now in God’s eyes, but we still have the sinful flesh attached to us so we are

Claim; he new city will be protected by God. It will have a wall with 12 gates. On each gate will be written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel—the church and all its people.

Claim: The new city will have 12 foundations and on the foundations will be written the names of the 12 apostles. For on the foundation of the Word is the city of God built.

Claim: there will be no temple in the city.

Claim: there will be no more sacrifice. Christ made the final and ultimate sacrifice of himself on the cross.

Claim; there will be no more need to sacrifice because there shall be no sin in the city

Claim: God’s temple will be / is his people. the city, which is the church, is the temple in the sense of God’s residence. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and the HS dwells in you.

Claim: the city does not need the sun or the moon for the glory of God gives it light: God will not feed or care for his city through means for then he will care for his people directly. He himself will feed, nourish, protect, guide, comfort his people. Here and now he does this through means, the Word, the gospel, the sacraments, through vocation he provides for our daily and physical needs, but there he himself will feed us and sustain us without means.

Theme: the glory of Christ that will be ours in eternity. (We now have this glory but also are still sinners in the flesh simul iustus et peccatur so we don’t see this glory except by faith.)

Outline:

Narrative outline form

I saw the Holy city, Jerusalem: the church triumphant and he glory.

The church is our spiritual mother. As we celebrate our human mothers today and honor them, so we also remember to honor our spiritual mother for she has given us spiritual birth through preaching the word and administering the sacrament.

We are begotten by the HS in our mother the church and are given birth to by her in baptism, just as Israel David has become a member of the church today and was born a child of God in baptism today.

The church militant lives in the world and still has the flesh hanging to it. It is simil iustus et peccatur. We don’t see the glory, except by faith.

In the eschaton the glory of the church will be visible, seen by all. it is the glory of Christ given to him because he died for the salvation of all mankind.

The glory of the Holy City is the glory of Christ which he covers us with.

The city shines with the glory of God, adorned with jewels

The city is protected by a high wall with twelve gates: the names of the twelve tribes of Israel

The wall of the city had a foundation: the names of the apostles were on the foundation signifying that the foundation was the Word which they wrote. The city of God is founded and based on the word of God.

There was no temple in the city:

There was no more need to sacrifice because the Lamb has already been sacrificed

There is no more need for sacrifice because the Lamb’s sacrifice wiped away all sin. There is no more sin hence no more sacrifice will be necessary.

The temple as God’s dwelling place is the city itself; us, the church! He dwells in the city so does not need a separate temple for we are the temple of God. Since he dwells in the city, he will sustain our lives directly, not through means as in this world. There will be no more sun or moon because He himself will be our light and warmth instead of the means of a sun and moon that we need today.

Conclusion: rejoice in what we are today and share in by word and sacrament in worship, and what we will be completely in eternity.

Children’s sermon:

Mothers receive lots of jewelry for Mothers’ Day. Rings, necklaces, earrings. Some children given them a ring with the stone for their birthmonth, and so forth.

Some people call the church our mother. This is a true way of thinking of it because it is in the church that we are baptized. God says that baptism is being born again. Our mothers give us our physical life; we are born with our bodies, and hands, and arms, and eyes, and ears, but when we are born in baptism we are born spiritually and become the children of God. Since it is the job of the church to baptize people, it is correct to say that the church is our spiritual mother.

So today, on Mother’s Day we give thank to God for two mothers: our physical mother of flesh and blood and our spiritual mother, the church. Just as on Mothers’ Day people often give jewels to their mothers, so in our reading we heard about the church which shone like jewels; like jasper and crystal.