Stroll through Scripture for July 27, 2025

Based on Revelation 1:4-8

The Narrative Lectionary moves us from Jeremiah to Revelation.   In some ways these books are similar.  They are addressed to a people who face the ominous presence of empire and its destructive and oppressive nature.  It’s just a matter of which empire we are talking about.  Of course, Babylon and Rome had different theories and practices when it came to how their empires operated and how they controlled conquered peoples.  

Another similarity was that both Jeremiah and John were under restriction.  Jeremiah was under house arrest in Jerusalem, but his own king, before being exiled by Babylon.  John was exiled by Rome and lived on an island – Patmos, which is off the coast of modern day Turkiye.  When John offers his greeting to the seven churches that are in Asia, this is where he is referring to.  The region was a Roman province, mostly in the western portion of the land, due to its wealth and strategic location.  

In this opening, John sets an important stage.  The focus of John’s letter isn’t death and destruction, like Revelation is popularly thought to be about.  Instead, John greets the churches with grace and peace – something that would be in sharp contrast to what they experience in everyday life most likely.  

The core of Revelation is about the difference between empire and God.  Empires all do four things – they kill, destroy, oppress, and extract.  Empires see themselves as either ordained by a deity to do whatever they want, or in place of a deity.  Empires are narcissistic in nature – everything comes back to the empire and all attention must be centered on the empire.   Empires are never satisfied and always demand more.  Empires shut down any opposition.  Empires demand allegiance and loyalty.  But God’s reign is different, as embodied by Jesus.  Empire’s biggest weapon is death.  And yet, even here in the introduction, John makes it clear that even this weapon is powerless against God.  Empire ultimately is weak and always fails and falls.  Empire is not sustainable.  That is something we can celebrate.  

Questions for reflection:

• If John were to write a letter to the churches in America today, how do you think he would open it?  
• What are the empires we face in the world and in our lives today?  Go beyond a military or governmental entity – what other empires exist in the world that are in opposition to God’s ways?