Day and night they never stop saying:
"Holy, holy, holy 
is the Lord God Almighty, 
who was, and is, and is to come."
Book of Revelation 4:8b, NIV

An African friend of mine who has already experienced more trials and tribulations than I could ever imagine always answers the same way when I ask him how he and his family are doing.  "We give God praise!"

We give God praise?  How is it that he is able to give God praise EVERY hour of EVERY day it seems?  I know their struggles - past and present - and yet he continues to respond in the same way.  "We give God praise!"  I am moved (and humbled) by his response every time I hear him say it, and having him in my life has made me realize how often I fail to celebrate daily what God is doing for me and family.

Over the last few days I have been re-reading portions of the Book of Revelation in anticipation of preaching from that text on Sunday.  What an inspiring and hope-filled book!  I find it sad that so many people see this book as "doom and gloom" - I have always found it to be just the opposite.  I hope to reinforce that in my message this Sunday.

Some of the most unusual and inspiring portions of the book are found in the many worship scenes described by John.  The first of these is found in the early verses of chapter 4 where John paints a picture that is beyond words.  A throne with a rainbow arched over it.  Twenty-four other thrones around the main throne on which are sitting elders dressed in white and wearing crowns of gold. Lightning, thunder and seven lamps blazing with fire.  And before the throne there appears to be a sea of crystal-clear glass.  Sound like Salvador Dali painting to you?

And if our imagination is not yet stirred, John then notices four living creatures, each with six wings and with eyes covering their bodies, situated around the primary throne in the center.  The four resembled a lion, an ox, a man and a flying eagle.  Are they there to protect the One sitting on the primary throne along with the other twenty-four?  Surely John must have wondered what these bizarre and rather ghoulish creatures were doing there in his heavenly vision.

Then, before John's imagination could go too far, the four living creatures begin to say (or maybe sing?) some words over and over again.  Day and night, John reports, he hears the four living creatures repeating these words:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.

And whenever the four living creatures repeat these words, the others gathered around the primary throne begin to do the same kind of thing!  The twenty-four elders, dressed in white and wearing gold crowns, fall down before the One who sits on the throne, lay their crowns down before the throne, and begin to worship the One who lives forever.  Their hymn of praise is different from the living creatures.  They sing,

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

Now obviously there has been great speculation about who or what the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures represent.  Do the twenty-four represent the twelve tribes of Israel combined with the twelve apostles?  Do the four creatures represent the four corners of the earth and all the living creatures created by the One on the throne?  We really are not sure what to make of these different participants in this heavenly worship scene, but we do know this for sure: the heaven described in John's vision is full of worship!  Every day and night all of God's created order give honor and praise to God and the Lamb, forever and ever. 

I have often taught that the Christian life is a life shaped by Kingdom, or heavenly, values and practices.  And while it is perfectly normal to hope for the day when we will be around the heavenly throne of God, we continue to live on this earth.  This reality begs the question: what are we called to do while we are still here?  The answer, I believe, is very simple: we seek to live each day, with God's help, in ways that reflect what the heaven will look like once we get there, once it is manifested in its fullest.  We forgive one another.  We bear one another's burdens.  We seek reconciliation with our neighbors.  We work for peace.  We care for those who are forgotten in our world.  And daily, if not hourly, "We give God praise" no matter the circumstance, no matter what trial or tribulation confronts us.  In other words, we begin to live, right here and right now, as if we are already in heaven.

Reading these words from Revelation brought two songs to mind for me this week.  The first hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy!" has many direct quotes from chapter four of Revelation, and in verse two especially:

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee!
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be!

And when I remembered that second line of the second verse, it reminded me of a popular song by the Christian band "Casting Crowns" entitled "Praise You in the Storm."  It is a song that celebrates God's abiding love and presence with us, especially through those darkest valleys in our lives.  In these days after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, as the war in Iraq continues, and as students on campuses like Clemson prepare for their final exams or for life after college, I believe that this song has a word that could benefit us all as we seek to survive the storms all around us.  Following is a portion of the song that especially connects with our situation today:

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

May the One who created all things be with you during your time of trial,
lane

Rev. C. Lane Glaze
Director - Clemson Wesley Foundation
Campus Minister - Clemson UMC
PO Box 1703 Clemson SC 29633
864-207-9135 (c) or 864-654-5547 (o)

Feel free to forward this email to a friend. The Clemson Wesley Weekly Devotional is a ministry of Rev. Lane Glaze and the Clemson Wesley Foundation, the United Methodist Church's ministry to students on the campus of Clemson University.  The purpose of this email is to look at issues relevant to the life of Clemson students through the lens of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you would like your name added to this list, email Lane at glaze@clemson.edu