Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Holiness and Faithfulness
Revelations 7:9-17
I said to him, Sir, you are the one that knows. Then he said to me, These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14).
The Christian church has thought highly enough of its saints of the past to set aside a day to remember their examples of faith and to thank God for them since 835 A.D. But what does it mean to be a saint? The passage Revelation 7: 9-17 shows:
1. Their Number is Great and Growing: The same group that numbered 144,000 is now so great that it cannot be counted. They come from every corner of the world to fill the scene in heaven with saints. God calls on us to be his witnesses and instruments so that his saints continue to grow in number and continue to become the great multitude that no one can count, where it is not the numerical strength but the commission of witness and collective faith that makes us a countless multitude where we are a minority that can be disposed.
2. Their Clothes are White and Clean: They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." (Rev 7:9). This is written in the context of persecution. The vision of John is also giving a daring faith and clothing the people who are viewers of his vision. These people who are stripped of all dignity by the Empire, by the powers, Christ clothes them and gives them the insignia of royalty. The Royalty is through the blood of the slain Lamb who sacrificed his life for them. This makes them wear the white robe which is a call to a new community different from the cacophony that surrounds
3. Their Future is Perfect and Permanent (v.16): In the context of persecution, the vision gives them hope eternal. Death cannot take hope away from them. These words express the reason we need not fear our own death, because Jesus' blood has cleansed us to make us saints in God's eyes, and Jesus' resurrection assures us that we will rise to join the saints in God's perfect and permanent presence.
PRAYER
God of wisdom and grace, we thank you for giving us the sustenance in troubled times to remember we are part of the great cloud of witnesses, as we are saints by your sacrifice, love and commission, Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A life set apart for God is what makes it worthy.

Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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