Reclaiming the Apocalypse: Spring!

When you think of the word “apocalypse,” what image comes to mind: fire, brimstone falling from the sky? Perhaps you imagine the complete destruction and end of all things?
Did you know that we are in the season of Apocalypse? Spring is nature’s natural apocalypse. Apocalypse comes from the Greek word, Apokálypsis; meaning "lifting of the veil" or "revelation." It is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of humankind, the lifting of a veil from misconception.

Now do you see the connection to spring? This is the time of year when the world that we thought was completely dead and frozen just a few months before, has totally come to life. Where there were snow drifts, now we have daffodils; where there were ice sheets, now we have jumping fish. I have a friend who moved into a new home over the winter and they are amazed at everything that is popping up out of nowhere in their yard, things they had no idea were there. Every day it is like a new gift as something springs forth.

In church we find the Apocalypse of John but we know it better as the Book of Revelation, or the last book of the Bible. The lectionary texts that we read on Sundays in this Easter season all turn to the book of Revelation, not because this is the end of all things, but because it is the beginning of something new. You may think of this as the time we are getting towards the end of the school year, the end of the program year, but this is just the beginning. What we thought was dead is alive; what we thought was done has now set us free.

Many people have misconceptions about Revelation as a confusing and depressing book of condemnation and judgment. But it is one of the greatest books of hope we have. What it reveals is that God has completed through Christ a rather amazing thing, the salvation of the world. No matter how evil tries to rear its ugly head, Christ reigns. No matter how many calamities fall upon us, justice will rule. No matter who stands before the throne, Christ’s forgiveness is offered.

Join us for our Sunday adult education series this spring as we study the book of Revelation and discover together how we can reclaim the Apocalypse and be a part of God revealing his love for the world.