Thomas J Parlette
“It Opens at the Close”
Rev 22: 12-14, 16-17, 20-21
6/1/25
People come to church for a lot of different reasons. I know many people come for the donuts. Over the last couple of Sundays, I know many people also came for the cake – as we received the Confirmation class and celebrated our graduates.
Some people come to have their morning coffee with their friends, or perhaps it’s out of habit – they’ve been church-goers all their lives and Sunday just doesn’t feel like Sunday unless they go to church. Honestly, I’m grateful that people come whatever their reason.
But there are deeper reasons that draw people to church:
- Something happens that serves as a reminder of just how uncertain and fragile our lives can be.
- Sometimes people all of a sudden realize their own shortcomings and imperfections, and they come here for some reassurance of God’s love and grace.
- Still others come because they have a hunger to follow Jesus and deepen their spiritual lives.
- Others are here in the pews because they see what’s going on in the world – foreign policies guided by ego, domestic policies fueled by revenge, wars that we can’t seem to stop, a roller coaster economy that changes almost daily, progress we thought had been made in the area of racial justice going in reverse, medical research and educational grants suddenly cut – they see all this, and they come before God out of confusion, frustration, fear and anxiety.
There are all sorts of reasons people come to church. But we all have one thing in common. We all want to hear some good news – in truth, we all want to hear THE good news.
And this passage from Revelation today does not disappoint. Actually, this isn’t really one cohesive passage – it’s a collection of quotes and sayings that come to John’s mind that sum up some of the major themes of his vision, his Revelation. All of chapter 22 is often referred to as an Epilogue, like you’d see at the end of a movie that tells you want happened to all the various characters
So in this verses, as selected by the Lectionary writers, we can find five themes that after us some good news at the end of the Bible.
First, we jump right in with the assurance that Jesus is coming soon, and we will be rewarded for our work. Whatever we have done to help bring about the Kingdom of God, we will be rewarded for our efforts. That’s good news. Whenever we feel overwhelmed by our personal challenges or the situations we around us, we find assurance here that our labors are not in vain – there is a reward. Our Reformed heritage tells us that’s not the reason we should do good deeds, but it’s good news that those good deeds will not go overlooked.
In the very next verse, we have another assurance that is at the center of John’s vision – Jesus is “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” This 3-part proclamation shows that Jesus is there throughout the range of human experience. In everything we face – Jesus is there. Nothing lies outside of Jesus’ presence. Christ is everywhere, at all times, in all situations. We are never alone. Good news, indeed.
Now, the next piece of assurance sounds a little odd. “Blessed are those who wash their robes…” So if you are very conscientious about doing your laundry, that’s a requirement for your heavenly reward? All I can say, is I hope not. This bit about the robes is actually a nod to the robe as a symbol of worthiness, of holiness. If you have washed your robe, you are worthy of being in the presence of God.
The Jewish theologian, Abraham Heschel, had some interesting things to say on this topic. He described a person who lives a life of holiness as “pious.” Today, we often associate some negative connotations to that word – if you call someone “pious”, you might do so in a slightly negative way, like that person is doing it all for show.
But for Heschel, it refers to a person whose life is lived in a manner that is “compatible with God’s presence.” (1) For Heschel, piety ultimately means that we are aware that we are creatures entirely beholden to the God who has created us. (2)
So if we live as pious people, our salvation is coming and “we will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.” Yet another piece of good news.
The next few verses, 16. 17 and 20, contain some Messianic imagery that John wants to remind us of. He refers to Jesus sending an angel to testify to the churches. Jesus reminds he is “the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star.” All images meant to conjure visions of the Messiah, who was coming to bring justice to the land. Finally – justice will come. And we all are invited. The Spirit and the Bride, referring to the city of the New Jerusalem, who only speaks in this passage Good news, invites “everyone who is thirsty to come.” And an invitation is always a good thing.
And that brings us to the last assurance in these verses – indeed, the last words of the Bible as it has been assembled.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.”
What a wonderful way to close out the Bible – a word of grace.
Some of you have no doubt seen the Harry Potter movies – they are favorites in our household. There is a scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows where Professor Dumbledore leaves Harry a gift in his will – it’s the Golden Snitch that Harry caught to win a Quidditch match in his first year at Hogwarts. At first, Harry has no idea why Dumbledore has left him this.
During their adventures seeking horcruxes as a way to destroy the evil Voldemort, Harry’s friend Hermione mentions that some of the horcruxes respond to touch. And suddenly Harry remembers that when he caught the snitch, he didn’t catch it with his hand, he caught it in his mouth. So he touches his lips to the Golden snitch, and a clue appears – “I open at the close.”
What it means, and Juliet and I had to google this a bunch of times to find out how this happened, is that the snitch, which contains the Resurrection Stone, will only open when Harry is willing to close out his own life. He must be willing to die to defeat Voldemort and save the wizarding world.
But then we find out that the snitch did “open at the close,” and the resurrection stone worked, and Harry received new life, and evil was defeated in a grand cinematic battle.
It opens at the close. As we reach the close of the Bible with the ending words of Revelation, we are promised new life as well. Not in the form of Resurrection Stone – but in the form of God’s grace.
So as we gather at the Lord’s table, let us remember this new life we receive from Jesus’ resurrection. Let us remember that at the close, God opens the gift of grace for all the saints.
May God be praised. Amen.
1. Joseph H. Britton, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 2, Westminster John Knox Press, 2009, p536.
2. Ibid… p538.
