WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:06.339 Well, as Kevin said at the beginning of the service, happy Father's Day, happy Trinity 00:00:06.339 --> 00:00:06.799 Sunday. 00:00:09.060 --> 00:00:12.300 We've been beta testing a new ministry at Church of the Advent. 00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:14.000 We've had a couple of events. 00:00:14.179 --> 00:00:18.300 It's a ministry called Common Cup, and some of you have been a part of Common Cup. 00:00:18.679 --> 00:00:21.760 If you want to be a part of it, there'll be plenty of opportunities, God willing, down 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:22.179 the road. 00:00:22.539 --> 00:00:28.400 But Common Cup is an opportunity for Christians to get together, and we sit around the communion 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:36.339 table, and sitting around the communion table, we debate divisive, polarizing issues, and 00:00:36.339 --> 00:00:44.119 we disagree, and we argue, and then we end the night by taking communion together, affirming 00:00:44.119 --> 00:00:45.679 our unity in Christ. 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:47.700 And it's been a great outlet. 00:00:48.519 --> 00:00:54.780 It's been a way for us to, as Christians, explore topics that might otherwise divide people and 00:00:54.780 --> 00:00:55.619 end relationships. 00:00:55.619 --> 00:01:02.299 The last topic that we explored together was the subject of Christianity and nationalism. 00:01:02.959 --> 00:01:06.079 How should Christians feel about their country? 00:01:06.739 --> 00:01:10.719 How much pride and excitement is too much? 00:01:10.759 --> 00:01:17.359 Is there a point at which we should be wary of our nationalistic pride? 00:01:17.620 --> 00:01:23.959 Should we value and prioritize our country over other countries, over Christians in other 00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:24.419 countries? 00:01:25.419 --> 00:01:30.439 Very, very divisive, which is good in terms of the event that we're doing. 00:01:30.819 --> 00:01:36.459 And there was a lot of disagreement, and it's clear that there are a lot of strong opinions 00:01:36.459 --> 00:01:37.739 about those questions. 00:01:38.299 --> 00:01:42.599 What should we think of when we think of our political leaders as Christians? 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:43.519 What does that mean? 00:01:43.979 --> 00:01:49.819 You know, in our country, we have endeavored throughout our short history as a nation to keep politics 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:53.119 and religion separate from one another, the separation of church and state. 00:01:53.559 --> 00:01:57.899 But, you know, that's only possible to a point, because at some point, politics and religion 00:01:57.899 --> 00:02:01.959 begin to overlap, because they offer a lot of the same things. 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:08.240 Both politics and religion offer us a vision of what it means to be human, for instance. 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:15.419 Both politics and religion try to order our lives and try to tell us what is most important. 00:02:15.419 --> 00:02:23.519 Both politics and religion offer hope, and they make promises about the future that they 00:02:23.519 --> 00:02:24.599 want us to believe in. 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:30.239 And perhaps most relevant, both politics and religion call for our allegiance. 00:02:31.779 --> 00:02:36.579 And sometimes, our allegiance to one requires that we disobey the other. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:42.519 And that's one of the reasons why, if you look at most of history, politics and religion 00:02:42.519 --> 00:02:44.319 was the same thing. 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:47.180 Your political leader was your religious leader. 00:02:47.299 --> 00:02:49.959 Your political leader was your God that you worshiped. 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:54.699 And certainly, that was true in the Roman Empire in the time that the Bible was written. 00:02:54.919 --> 00:03:00.459 The emperor was seen as a god, as a divine being worthy of worship. 00:03:00.959 --> 00:03:06.439 And so, Christians in the Roman Empire were forced to wrestle with these questions. 00:03:06.620 --> 00:03:12.659 How do I live and be faithful to my God when the emperor is demanding that I worship him 00:03:12.659 --> 00:03:13.699 as well? 00:03:13.699 --> 00:03:15.299 What does Christian faithfulness look like? 00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:19.959 And, you know, I think it's obvious that we live in a very different culture in some 00:03:19.959 --> 00:03:20.339 ways. 00:03:20.419 --> 00:03:26.219 And yet, I think you may agree with me when I say that often, when we look at our political 00:03:26.219 --> 00:03:29.139 climate today, it seems like it's getting more and more religious. 00:03:30.179 --> 00:03:35.239 People are putting ultimate hope in their political party, in their political leader, 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:39.759 their chosen candidate, to bring the kind of hope and change and peace that the world needs. 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:44.639 Likewise, I think religion is becoming more and more politicized. 00:03:46.139 --> 00:03:49.780 And so, Christians, I think, need to be asking similar questions today. 00:03:50.039 --> 00:03:56.719 How do we live faithfully in this world when religion often seems very political and politics 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:58.840 has become more and more and more religious? 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:04.560 And so, for that reason, we're going to be looking at Revelation chapters 12 and 13 and a little 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:05.700 bit of chapter 14. 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:11.439 We weren't able to read all of this because of time, but we are going to look at all of 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:12.039 it together. 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:18.240 And this section, the kind of narrative that we're going to be looking at, breaks down into 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:19.519 sort of two sections. 00:04:20.379 --> 00:04:23.280 There's the woman and the dragon, part one. 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:28.679 And then there are the two beasts, part two, the woman and the dragon and the two beasts. 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:32.819 And so, we're going to walk through this image together, these images. 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:37.579 We're going to talk a little bit about what they mean and unpack them, and then we'll draw 00:04:37.579 --> 00:04:42.519 out a couple of implications for how we as Christians should think about living faithfully 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:45.379 when it comes to politics and religion in our country. 00:04:45.479 --> 00:04:46.679 So, let's pray, and then we'll get started. 00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:55.340 Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You that even when it is not entirely clear, 00:04:55.519 --> 00:05:01.740 even when it is mysterious, that, Lord, at the end of the day, we can trust You to speak 00:05:01.740 --> 00:05:08.240 through Your Word, that every syllable of Your Word is breathed out by You for us, for 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:08.920 our good. 00:05:09.280 --> 00:05:15.280 And so, we pray that as we sit under Your Word tonight, You would help us have a vision for 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:17.619 what faithfulness means in our day and age. 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:20.539 Lord, for Your glory, in Your Son's name, Amen. 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:25.039 So, part one, chapter one, the woman and the dragon. 00:05:26.479 --> 00:05:29.139 Revelation 12 opens in this dramatic way. 00:05:29.259 --> 00:05:33.899 Imagine you're John, and you're sitting, and you're sort of looking at this heavenly stage, 00:05:33.979 --> 00:05:35.059 this heavenly theater. 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:40.519 And imagine the curtain has dropped on the last scene, and then the curtain comes up, and 00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:42.399 the next scene is laid out before you. 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:48.319 And what you see is this, it says this in verse one, a great sign appeared in heaven, 00:05:48.659 --> 00:05:55.060 a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 00:05:55.060 --> 00:05:56.019 twelve stars. 00:05:56.799 --> 00:06:01.899 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 00:06:02.299 --> 00:06:09.379 So, St. John has this vision of this kind of divine being, or seemingly divine being. 00:06:09.379 --> 00:06:15.680 This woman who is standing on the moon, wrapped in sunlight with a crown, but instead of jewels 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:17.360 in the crown, there are stars. 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:19.740 And she's wrapped in sunlight. 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:25.399 If you've ever been walking through the woods late in the day, and you see sunbeams coming 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:30.819 down onto the forest floor, and the sunbeams almost look like a kind of diophanous fabric. 00:06:30.980 --> 00:06:35.199 You can imagine this image of someone being wrapped in sunbeams. 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:37.060 This is what John sees. 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:39.180 But this woman is in labor. 00:06:39.379 --> 00:06:42.680 She's feeling pain, and so she's crying out because she's giving birth. 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:49.719 And then John sees this great, wicked, red dragon that is crouching right in front of 00:06:49.719 --> 00:06:54.899 the woman, and it is planning to devour her child as soon as the child is born. 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:58.639 And the reason is because this is no ordinary child. 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:04.620 The dragon knows that the child that is coming is the true prince of the world. 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:09.120 It says in verse 5, he is the one who is to rule all the nations. 00:07:09.379 --> 00:07:11.459 He's the true king of the world. 00:07:12.479 --> 00:07:19.599 But the child escapes and is snatched up into heaven before the dragon can devour it. 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:24.680 And then a war breaks out in heaven, but the dragon doesn't stand a chance, and so the dragon 00:07:24.680 --> 00:07:28.120 is defeated, soundly defeated, and is cast down to earth. 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:32.759 And then the dragon, in defeat, still won't give up, and so then the dragon goes after the 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:33.019 woman. 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:38.579 But then the woman escapes, and is taken into the wilderness and nourished and protected. 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:42.780 So I want to stop there and just kind of unpack some of these images. 00:07:42.779 --> 00:07:47.979 I know, especially if you're not a Christian or if you've never been to our church before, 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:50.119 you're thinking, what have I walked into? 00:07:50.579 --> 00:07:53.659 And this is bizarre even by Christian standards. 00:07:54.039 --> 00:07:57.479 For people who read the Bible, this is pretty bizarre. 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:03.699 But if you look at ancient mythology, if you look at the different stories and myths from 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:08.959 societies in the world at the time that this was written, it would not be nearly as bizarre. 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:15.279 In fact, there are societies around the world from this time period that have very similar 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:17.039 stories in their mythology. 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:25.060 There is a prince who is going to be born, who is going to rule the rightful king, and 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:32.139 there is a usurper, an evil, wicked usurper who wants to kill the king at birth so the king 00:08:32.139 --> 00:08:37.319 can never grow up and claim his inheritance so that the usurper can instead claim the inheritance. 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:46.740 And then in these stories, the child is miraculously rescued and taken away, and then time passes 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:50.540 and the child grows up, and then the child comes back and kills the usurper. 00:08:51.400 --> 00:08:53.720 So there are stories like this in various societies. 00:08:53.900 --> 00:08:59.680 You look at the Greco-Roman world, their version of the story said that the prince was Apollo, 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:08.899 and Apollo the sun god, at birth, the dragon python was going to kill Apollo, but Apollo escapes because 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:15.379 of his goddess mother, and then Apollo grows up, and then later Apollo comes back and slays the dragon python. 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:20.399 You say, okay, well, okay, so these stories are not as bizarre, so what difference does that make? 00:09:20.439 --> 00:09:21.559 Well, here's why this matters. 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:27.719 The Roman Empire had a habit of turning old myths into new propaganda. 00:09:29.099 --> 00:09:38.199 The Roman political propaganda machine had taken this myth of Apollo, and they had applied it to 00:09:38.199 --> 00:09:38.859 Emperor Nero. 00:09:39.419 --> 00:09:41.319 They were putting the word out there. 00:09:41.399 --> 00:09:46.699 They were putting forth the idea that Nero was, in fact, Apollo incarnate. 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:50.399 Nero was the one who had almost been killed, but who had escaped. 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:54.659 Nero is the one who has come back and has the power to slay dragons. 00:09:55.100 --> 00:09:58.360 Nero is the one who can bring peace on earth. 00:09:58.459 --> 00:10:03.740 So when it says at the beginning of Revelation in chapter 1 that John is at Patmos on the Lord's Day, 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:09.139 we think of the Lord's Day as the day we gather for worship, the Sabbath day. 00:10:09.259 --> 00:10:12.539 But in the Roman world, the Lord's Day was the feast of the emperor. 00:10:12.819 --> 00:10:18.639 That's when you would gather together and celebrate and give praise and honor to the emperor as the 00:10:18.639 --> 00:10:19.840 bringer of peace on earth. 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:23.779 They had applied this story to Nero. 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:25.500 They had put forth Nero as a god. 00:10:25.620 --> 00:10:29.959 There are even coins from this era that depict Nero as the sun god. 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:39.340 And so what's so amazing about this, it blows my mind, is that the apostle John, inspired by God, 00:10:39.340 --> 00:10:49.540 is giving us a depiction of something that deliberately challenges and subverts the political propaganda of Rome. 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:52.460 This is subverting the propaganda. 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:58.740 So John refashions this story as a kind of cosmic nativity story. 00:10:58.740 --> 00:11:01.060 This woman is no goddess. 00:11:01.060 --> 00:11:03.659 This woman is none other than Mary herself. 00:11:04.460 --> 00:11:07.740 But this is not Mary as we think of Mary. 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:10.620 This is not Mary as the world sees Mary. 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:20.100 This is not Mary who is poor and uneducated and from some backwater town and marginalized in her society. 00:11:20.100 --> 00:11:23.480 This is Mary as God sees her. 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:23.540 This is Mary as God sees her. 00:11:25.620 --> 00:11:26.159 Radiant. 00:11:27.560 --> 00:11:28.220 Heroic. 00:11:29.820 --> 00:11:30.519 Luminous. 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:33.259 Crowned with stars. 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:34.960 Wrapped in sunlight. 00:11:35.580 --> 00:11:36.700 Standing on the moon. 00:11:36.700 --> 00:11:39.160 This is Mary as God sees her. 00:11:39.900 --> 00:11:43.680 Perhaps the greatest hero of faith in Christian history. 00:11:44.460 --> 00:11:50.660 All of the promises given to Eve that we would be saved through childbearing. 00:11:50.800 --> 00:11:54.600 That one day she would bear a son who would crush the serpent's head. 00:11:54.740 --> 00:12:01.240 All of those promises fulfilled in Mary who was given the greatest honor ever bestowed on a human being. 00:12:01.560 --> 00:12:04.400 To bear the true prince into the world. 00:12:04.500 --> 00:12:05.660 The true king. 00:12:06.700 --> 00:12:09.060 And so the message is very clear. 00:12:09.640 --> 00:12:10.920 Not only to Christians. 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:13.360 But all the way into the Roman court. 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:14.720 The message is very clear. 00:12:15.940 --> 00:12:17.220 Caesar is no prince. 00:12:19.100 --> 00:12:20.600 Caesar is no god. 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:24.759 Caesar is no bringer of world peace. 00:12:26.660 --> 00:12:28.400 Caesar is at best a lackey. 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:30.620 A minion of the dragon. 00:12:31.900 --> 00:12:33.420 As we'll see in a little while. 00:12:33.420 --> 00:12:35.020 Caesar is just an instrument. 00:12:35.019 --> 00:12:37.379 Caesar is a dragon. 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:40.519 Caesar is a dragon. 00:12:40.519 --> 00:12:42.319 Now if we go back to the story. 00:12:43.579 --> 00:12:45.199 The dragon is very angry. 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:46.740 It's been cast to earth. 00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:48.079 It couldn't get the child. 00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:49.220 It couldn't get the mother. 00:12:49.460 --> 00:12:51.360 So the dragon will not give up. 00:12:51.460 --> 00:12:52.299 It has been defeated. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:53.779 But it will not quit. 00:12:54.360 --> 00:12:56.819 And so the dragon declares that if it cannot get the child. 00:12:56.879 --> 00:12:57.779 And it cannot get the mother. 00:12:58.240 --> 00:12:59.120 Verse 17. 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:01.240 Then the dragon became furious with the woman. 00:13:01.580 --> 00:13:04.340 And went off to make war on the rest of her offspring. 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:06.679 Those who keep the commandments of God. 00:13:06.940 --> 00:13:08.919 And hold to the testimony of Jesus. 00:13:09.299 --> 00:13:12.060 The dragon wages war on the children. 00:13:12.179 --> 00:13:12.759 The offspring. 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:13.919 God's people. 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:16.480 And the dragon knows that in order to do this. 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:17.799 It needs reinforcements. 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:21.340 And so the dragon calls forth two beasts. 00:13:21.340 --> 00:13:27.379 You might say the dragon creates these beasts in its own image. 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:30.480 They speak with the dragon's voice. 00:13:31.220 --> 00:13:32.960 And these two beasts come. 00:13:33.160 --> 00:13:35.580 And one is a beast of the sea. 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:38.399 And as the beast of the sea rises up in this vision. 00:13:38.560 --> 00:13:41.740 You see that there are crowns on the head of this beast. 00:13:41.980 --> 00:13:45.240 And it's a kind of patchwork quilt of animals. 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:48.960 It's a kind of caricature king. 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:51.660 It's a kind of parody of a king. 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:54.019 With little crowns dangling on its horns. 00:13:54.940 --> 00:13:58.700 So there's a counterfeit king that comes from the sea. 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:00.680 And then from the land. 00:14:01.460 --> 00:14:06.019 The dragon raises up a kind of counterfeit priest. 00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:09.740 It looks like a lamb. 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:12.580 Has horns like a lamb. 00:14:13.040 --> 00:14:14.720 But it's a false lamb. 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:16.800 And we know because when it opens its mouth. 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:19.099 It speaks with the voice of the dragon. 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:20.679 Not the lamb. 00:14:21.219 --> 00:14:22.879 It has the appearance of a lamb. 00:14:23.899 --> 00:14:26.599 And so now that we have begun to unpack this. 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:31.279 And we understand that this is aimed at the political propaganda of Rome. 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:33.740 The pieces start to fall into place. 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:35.439 The sea beast. 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:38.399 The pretend parody of a king. 00:14:38.719 --> 00:14:39.579 This is Rome. 00:14:40.839 --> 00:14:41.979 This is Caesar. 00:14:42.979 --> 00:14:44.279 Caesar is no prince. 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:45.339 Caesar is no ruler. 00:14:45.340 --> 00:14:47.019 Caesar is a beast. 00:14:47.740 --> 00:14:50.220 Caesar is a minion and a lackey of the dragon. 00:14:51.060 --> 00:14:55.639 Now that wouldn't have come as much of a surprise to the first readers. 00:14:55.800 --> 00:14:59.420 The second beast would have shocked many of the first readers. 00:14:59.560 --> 00:15:00.440 Here's the shocker. 00:15:01.040 --> 00:15:02.639 The beast that comes from land. 00:15:02.800 --> 00:15:05.780 The kind of false lamb with the voice of a dragon. 00:15:06.780 --> 00:15:08.920 This represents the religious leaders. 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:12.379 The many, many, many religious leaders. 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:14.799 The Jews who had thrown their lot in with Rome. 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:17.139 Because the emperor had said, 00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:19.360 You can continue to worship your gods. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:22.259 To the Jews, you can continue to worship Yahweh. 00:15:22.419 --> 00:15:24.259 But you also have to worship me. 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:27.620 And if they didn't worship the emperor. 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:29.740 And bad things happened in the empire. 00:15:29.860 --> 00:15:31.399 It was blamed on the Christians. 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:34.779 You're not worshiping the emperor. 00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:35.860 The gods are angry. 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:37.700 You're not worshiping our gods. 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:38.620 The gods are angry. 00:15:38.620 --> 00:15:40.200 And so bad things are happening. 00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:42.700 This is one of the main reasons that Christians were killed. 00:15:43.899 --> 00:15:45.060 They were seen as atheists. 00:15:45.060 --> 00:15:47.120 Because they didn't worship the Roman pantheon. 00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:47.820 The Roman emperor. 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:51.940 So many religious leaders had said, 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:53.100 We will do both. 00:15:53.179 --> 00:15:54.139 We'll worship our God. 00:15:54.200 --> 00:15:55.440 But we will also worship you. 00:15:55.899 --> 00:15:57.279 Because they wanted to keep the peace. 00:15:57.460 --> 00:15:58.440 They didn't want any trouble. 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:00.320 So they had thrown their lot in with Rome. 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:03.100 And this vision is saying that when they did that, 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:05.500 They became a kind of caricature. 00:16:05.620 --> 00:16:08.080 They became a parody of the lamb. 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:12.360 They became a false lamb that speaks with the voice of a dragon. 00:16:12.900 --> 00:16:17.660 That encourages people to worship and give their allegiance to the dragon. 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:19.139 That's what this beast is doing. 00:16:19.259 --> 00:16:20.560 This is the religious community. 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:25.540 Who had sold out to their political leaders. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:29.860 So this is a massive attack. 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:32.920 A massive ideological assault. 00:16:33.740 --> 00:16:36.960 On everything that was happening. 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:38.840 So when you put all of this together, 00:16:39.740 --> 00:16:40.840 You begin to understand, 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:41.759 Here's the story. 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:45.600 The birth of Jesus signals Satan's defeat. 00:16:45.780 --> 00:16:48.000 Satan could not keep that from happening. 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:50.420 And yet until Jesus comes again, 00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:51.240 Once and for all, 00:16:51.300 --> 00:16:52.379 To slay the dragon, 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:55.840 The dragon is waging war 00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:57.900 On all of God's people. 00:16:57.899 --> 00:17:03.139 And the dragon has two very powerful weapons it can use in that war. 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:05.779 Politics and religion. 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:11.259 Both can be a means of satanic warfare on God's people. 00:17:11.319 --> 00:17:13.799 And if you read in detail chapter 13, 00:17:13.799 --> 00:17:20.519 You can see that this can be an overt war of intimidation and persecution and imprisonment and death. 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:28.359 Or it can be a more covert war of deception and seduction and assimilation. 00:17:29.480 --> 00:17:30.400 So then we ask, 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:33.139 Well, why is John laying all of this out? 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:37.680 And there's a refrain that repeats throughout this passage that says this, 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:42.379 Here is a call for the endurance and the faith of the saints. 00:17:42.380 --> 00:17:47.660 So God is telling us all this through John so that we will be able to endure. 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:50.600 And so that we will be able to remain faithful. 00:17:50.780 --> 00:17:56.640 So that we will be able to penetrate the lies and see the truth of what's really going on. 00:17:57.320 --> 00:18:01.260 He doesn't want us to have a close-eyed, blind faith. 00:18:01.360 --> 00:18:04.840 He wants us to have both eyes open to recognize the truth of the world. 00:18:05.120 --> 00:18:06.940 So that we can be vigilant and faithful. 00:18:08.660 --> 00:18:08.860 Right? 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:10.260 So back to the original question, 00:18:10.260 --> 00:18:12.340 What does Christian faithfulness look like? 00:18:12.380 --> 00:18:15.380 When it comes to politics and religion in our society, 00:18:15.380 --> 00:18:16.500 I would say this, 00:18:16.600 --> 00:18:18.420 Based on Revelation 12 and 13, 00:18:18.940 --> 00:18:20.020 I would say it means this. 00:18:20.080 --> 00:18:22.660 It means holding out the true story of Jesus 00:18:22.660 --> 00:18:25.400 over the false stories of the world 00:18:25.400 --> 00:18:29.340 so that we can be faithful Christian political witnesses. 00:18:30.340 --> 00:18:33.660 It's holding out the true story of Jesus over the false stories of the world 00:18:33.660 --> 00:18:36.960 so that we can be faithful Christian political witnesses. 00:18:37.280 --> 00:18:38.580 And with the time we have left, 00:18:38.580 --> 00:18:40.140 I'll just break that down a little bit. 00:18:40.140 --> 00:18:43.680 What do I mean by holding out the true story of Jesus? 00:18:45.140 --> 00:18:47.160 The Roman Empire, as we said, 00:18:47.220 --> 00:18:50.740 had this habit of using mythology as propaganda. 00:18:51.420 --> 00:18:55.220 But we should not be so naive as to think that ended with the Roman Empire. 00:18:55.580 --> 00:18:57.500 It still happens everywhere, 00:18:57.700 --> 00:18:59.640 and it still happens in our country. 00:19:00.140 --> 00:19:04.020 As rationalist and as sort of post-religious as we like to think we are, 00:19:04.019 --> 00:19:05.879 we are still religious creatures. 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:09.220 And we are still suckers for a good myth. 00:19:10.220 --> 00:19:12.799 And you see this in our political world. 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:16.259 There's a sociologist at Berkeley named Arlie Huckschild, 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:19.519 and she spent a lot of time studying voter behavior. 00:19:19.879 --> 00:19:22.019 And she discovered something that I think is fairly important. 00:19:22.859 --> 00:19:26.440 As she's looked at the past election and the one before that, 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:29.420 and why people vote for the candidate they vote for, 00:19:29.740 --> 00:19:31.660 she realized that many voters, 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:33.539 not all voters, but many voters, 00:19:35.120 --> 00:19:39.480 vote not as a kind of outcome of a rational decision-making process. 00:19:40.180 --> 00:19:43.420 They vote because they have bought into a kind of mythology 00:19:43.420 --> 00:19:46.759 around the candidate that they support. 00:19:47.120 --> 00:19:48.880 They have bought into a kind of story. 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:50.960 And it's interesting, if you think about that, 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:52.960 in our climate, 00:19:53.060 --> 00:19:55.540 in order for a candidate to sort of stand out, 00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:00.260 they almost have to take on a kind of mythological quality to them. 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:01.960 They have to be larger than life. 00:20:02.180 --> 00:20:03.640 They have to be able to grab headlines 00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:05.120 and capture people's hopes 00:20:05.120 --> 00:20:07.400 and give them a vision of ultimate salvation. 00:20:09.020 --> 00:20:10.380 And so what she realized 00:20:10.380 --> 00:20:12.900 is that people will sometimes even vote 00:20:12.900 --> 00:20:14.960 against their own economic needs 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:19.140 because they're voting for their emotional needs. 00:20:20.140 --> 00:20:22.819 They're voting emotionally based on the myth. 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:25.720 And this happens on both sides of the aisle. 00:20:25.860 --> 00:20:27.100 You know, whether you have people 00:20:27.100 --> 00:20:29.920 who are voting for the champion 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:31.920 who will protect their way of life 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:35.740 and guarantee their stake in the American dream, 00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:39.120 or you are voting for the candidate 00:20:39.120 --> 00:20:41.319 who will champion equal rights 00:20:41.319 --> 00:20:44.880 and inclusion and justice and opportunity for all, 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:47.720 on the right and the left, 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:51.240 people are not simply voting for a person. 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:53.600 They're buying into a mythology. 00:20:55.140 --> 00:20:56.400 And it's interesting, you know, 00:20:56.440 --> 00:21:00.259 I moved here not long before Barack Obama was elected, 00:21:00.420 --> 00:21:01.640 and then I've been here, obviously, 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:03.860 more recently for Donald Trump's election. 00:21:03.980 --> 00:21:06.200 And I remember thinking, in both cases, 00:21:06.420 --> 00:21:07.420 when I looked at the people 00:21:07.420 --> 00:21:10.960 who were most passionately supporting these two presidents, 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:15.779 both have a kind of messianic quality 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:17.340 in the eyes of their supporters, 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:19.940 a kind of larger-than-life, 00:21:20.019 --> 00:21:21.940 almost mythological quality. 00:21:23.660 --> 00:21:25.600 John shows us in Revelation 00:21:25.600 --> 00:21:29.319 that the only way to counteract these false stories 00:21:29.319 --> 00:21:31.019 is with a true story, 00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:34.059 the true story of Jesus Christ. 00:21:34.779 --> 00:21:36.900 C.S. Lewis wrote a famous essay 00:21:36.900 --> 00:21:39.040 called Myth Become Fact. 00:21:39.040 --> 00:21:41.120 And in that essay, 00:21:41.280 --> 00:21:42.900 in that piece of writing, 00:21:43.080 --> 00:21:45.740 he says that all of the myths of the world, 00:21:45.840 --> 00:21:46.880 all of these mythologies, 00:21:47.019 --> 00:21:47.860 ancient and modern, 00:21:48.120 --> 00:21:50.580 they're all appealing to us 00:21:50.580 --> 00:21:53.980 because they remind us of the true story. 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:57.640 And yet they're all simply dim imitations 00:21:57.640 --> 00:22:00.380 of the true story of Jesus. 00:22:00.560 --> 00:22:01.560 And what he says is that 00:22:01.560 --> 00:22:04.140 Jesus is the myth become fact. 00:22:04.140 --> 00:22:07.140 He's the mythological hero 00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:09.140 who is actually real. 00:22:09.300 --> 00:22:11.860 So he is the prince who comes to wake us up. 00:22:12.080 --> 00:22:14.180 He is the once and future king 00:22:14.180 --> 00:22:15.940 of the Arthurian legend. 00:22:16.180 --> 00:22:17.940 He is the chosen one. 00:22:18.080 --> 00:22:19.900 He is the dragon slayer. 00:22:20.100 --> 00:22:22.720 He is that hero that we long for. 00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:25.900 And the reason that it's important for us to hear this 00:22:25.900 --> 00:22:28.000 is because if you know the truth of Jesus, 00:22:28.840 --> 00:22:31.080 then you can see clearly the truth 00:22:31.080 --> 00:22:33.400 of all of the Caesars of the world. 00:22:34.840 --> 00:22:35.880 We can say, 00:22:36.320 --> 00:22:37.060 you're no prince. 00:22:37.640 --> 00:22:39.100 You're no divine hero. 00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:39.920 You're no savior. 00:22:40.100 --> 00:22:42.120 And I know that because I know what one looks like. 00:22:42.840 --> 00:22:43.960 And it's not you. 00:22:45.640 --> 00:22:46.640 So in other words, 00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:49.120 the gospel story inoculates us, 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:49.940 you might say. 00:22:50.320 --> 00:22:51.860 It inoculates us 00:22:51.860 --> 00:22:54.860 against all of the false stories of the world. 00:22:54.859 --> 00:22:57.099 And the more our hearts and imaginations 00:22:57.099 --> 00:22:59.459 are captured by the heavenly city, 00:22:59.459 --> 00:23:02.479 the more resistant we will be to the mythologies 00:23:02.479 --> 00:23:06.759 and the idolatries of the earthly city. 00:23:08.199 --> 00:23:11.000 Now, why does this matter? 00:23:11.719 --> 00:23:13.179 Why do we need this true story? 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:14.579 Why do we need to be able to penetrate 00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:16.899 the lies and the false stories 00:23:16.899 --> 00:23:18.039 and to see through them? 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:19.599 Well, it's because our calling 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:20.960 is to be witnesses. 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:23.559 And I think that includes 00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:24.879 being political witnesses 00:23:24.879 --> 00:23:26.000 in the world. 00:23:26.059 --> 00:23:26.399 In other words, 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:27.460 we need to be present 00:23:27.460 --> 00:23:28.680 as God's people 00:23:28.680 --> 00:23:31.099 in the politics 00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:32.440 of our society, 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:34.359 in every sphere. 00:23:36.920 --> 00:23:39.180 John's vision of the second beast 00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:40.920 shows, I think, 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:42.559 what religion can become 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:44.319 when it only exists 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:45.599 to serve the state. 00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:49.000 When religion only exists 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:50.919 to prop up the state, 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:53.259 to prop up political leaders, 00:23:53.460 --> 00:23:55.599 it becomes a caricature of itself. 00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:56.879 It becomes a parody. 00:23:57.039 --> 00:23:58.259 It becomes a joke. 00:23:58.599 --> 00:24:00.339 It becomes a false lamb 00:24:00.339 --> 00:24:01.940 that speaks with the voice of a dragon. 00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:05.299 So this is a warning 00:24:05.299 --> 00:24:07.220 about the danger of nationalism 00:24:07.220 --> 00:24:08.919 when it goes too far. 00:24:09.779 --> 00:24:12.000 Yes, be excited about your country. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:14.940 Yes, take pride in being an American, 00:24:15.160 --> 00:24:16.460 but also recognize 00:24:16.460 --> 00:24:18.880 that the further you go down that road, 00:24:19.339 --> 00:24:21.359 the more easy it becomes 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:22.900 to verge into idolatry. 00:24:24.259 --> 00:24:26.339 And if you're a religious person, 00:24:26.420 --> 00:24:27.700 especially a religious leader 00:24:27.700 --> 00:24:28.400 or institution, 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:30.220 you're in danger of becoming 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:31.779 a false lamb, a parody. 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:33.480 However, 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:35.599 so there's a warning 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:37.440 against political idolatry, 00:24:37.619 --> 00:24:39.759 but there's also a warning in here 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:41.960 for Christians who believe 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:43.400 that the most faithful approach 00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:44.940 is to completely withdraw. 00:24:46.180 --> 00:24:48.220 Because the entire thrust of Revelation, 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:51.700 it's written to equip us 00:24:51.700 --> 00:24:53.000 to be witnesses in the world. 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:54.940 It's written to equip us 00:24:54.940 --> 00:24:55.700 to be present 00:24:55.700 --> 00:24:57.180 and to be engaged. 00:24:58.640 --> 00:24:59.920 And so the call 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:00.980 is not to withdraw. 00:25:01.980 --> 00:25:04.120 The call is to be a faithful witness. 00:25:05.299 --> 00:25:05.579 And you know, 00:25:05.660 --> 00:25:07.140 Revelation and the Bible as a whole 00:25:07.140 --> 00:25:08.319 does not call Christians 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:09.059 to disengage. 00:25:09.059 --> 00:25:10.599 The whole point of John's vision 00:25:10.599 --> 00:25:12.500 is that God's kingdom is coming. 00:25:13.940 --> 00:25:15.700 It's being established here. 00:25:16.259 --> 00:25:17.399 The heavenly city is coming 00:25:17.399 --> 00:25:18.819 to replace the earthly city. 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:20.179 And the role of the church 00:25:20.179 --> 00:25:21.200 is to be a witness 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:22.740 to that heavenly city. 00:25:22.980 --> 00:25:24.519 It's to point people 00:25:24.519 --> 00:25:26.519 to the truth of the heavenly city, 00:25:26.879 --> 00:25:28.919 even as we live in the earthly city. 00:25:29.319 --> 00:25:29.779 And you know, 00:25:29.819 --> 00:25:31.039 the more grounded we are 00:25:31.039 --> 00:25:32.919 as citizens of the heavenly city, 00:25:32.920 --> 00:25:35.000 the more we can bring 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:36.480 God's love and purposes 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:37.600 into the earthly city. 00:25:37.800 --> 00:25:38.800 And that's what we're here to do, 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:40.800 to bring God's love and purposes 00:25:40.800 --> 00:25:42.200 into the earthly city. 00:25:43.300 --> 00:25:43.960 So you say, 00:25:44.039 --> 00:25:44.440 well, okay, 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:45.240 what does that look like? 00:25:45.320 --> 00:25:45.519 Well, 00:25:46.519 --> 00:25:48.460 it means you go out into the world 00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:50.340 and you serve in every sphere 00:25:50.340 --> 00:25:51.440 and career you can. 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:53.340 It means for some of you, 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:54.100 very directly, 00:25:54.300 --> 00:25:55.100 you go and you work 00:25:55.100 --> 00:25:55.580 for the government. 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:57.880 You serve, 00:25:58.420 --> 00:25:59.620 but you serve faithfully. 00:25:59.619 --> 00:26:01.659 And as we go, 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:03.159 we go as kingdom citizens 00:26:03.159 --> 00:26:05.679 who also happen to be 00:26:05.679 --> 00:26:06.899 American citizens 00:26:06.899 --> 00:26:07.679 for the time being. 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:09.119 Most of us, anyway. 00:26:09.639 --> 00:26:10.719 If you're not an American citizen, 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:11.459 wherever you're from, 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:14.079 we go as kingdom citizens 00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:15.479 who for the time being 00:26:15.479 --> 00:26:17.459 happen to be American citizens. 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:19.339 And this means that 00:26:19.339 --> 00:26:20.419 while we pray to, 00:26:20.919 --> 00:26:21.819 or pray for, 00:26:21.959 --> 00:26:22.399 I'm sorry, 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:23.619 and submit to 00:26:23.619 --> 00:26:24.839 our earthly leaders, 00:26:25.099 --> 00:26:26.779 our allegiance remains with Jesus. 00:26:26.939 --> 00:26:27.779 And so we follow 00:26:27.779 --> 00:26:29.339 and we submit to our leaders. 00:26:30.579 --> 00:26:31.899 And yet there's always 00:26:31.899 --> 00:26:32.619 the possibility 00:26:32.619 --> 00:26:33.919 of civil disobedience. 00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:36.459 Because there's no question 00:26:36.459 --> 00:26:37.739 where our allegiance lies. 00:26:38.519 --> 00:26:39.979 And if push comes to shove, 00:26:40.639 --> 00:26:42.419 we disobey the earthly authority 00:26:42.419 --> 00:26:44.379 because we follow 00:26:44.379 --> 00:26:45.179 the heavenly authority. 00:26:45.299 --> 00:26:45.979 Because ultimately 00:26:45.979 --> 00:26:46.919 we're kingdom citizens. 00:26:47.819 --> 00:26:49.279 This means that we 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:51.299 don't get taken in easily. 00:26:51.859 --> 00:26:53.079 It means that we are not 00:26:53.079 --> 00:26:54.519 easily manipulated. 00:26:54.659 --> 00:26:55.779 If you know the true myth 00:26:55.779 --> 00:26:56.839 and you know the true Savior 00:26:56.839 --> 00:26:57.619 and you're inoculated 00:26:58.199 --> 00:26:59.519 against all of the other myths 00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:00.059 of the world, 00:27:00.180 --> 00:27:01.099 you're not going to be easy 00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:01.720 to manipulate. 00:27:02.200 --> 00:27:02.980 Because you're going to be able 00:27:02.980 --> 00:27:04.220 to see through the charade. 00:27:04.400 --> 00:27:04.879 You're going to be able 00:27:04.879 --> 00:27:06.279 to see the false lamb. 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:07.500 Recognize it for what it is. 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:08.879 See through to the truth 00:27:08.879 --> 00:27:10.940 of who Caesar really is. 00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:12.319 This is no God. 00:27:13.700 --> 00:27:14.599 This is just a man. 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:15.359 It's just a woman. 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:16.279 It's just a person. 00:27:17.879 --> 00:27:18.240 Right? 00:27:18.299 --> 00:27:20.099 And so we're not easily taken in. 00:27:20.180 --> 00:27:21.180 So no matter who sits 00:27:21.180 --> 00:27:22.139 in the Oval Office, 00:27:22.359 --> 00:27:23.599 we can be fair-minded. 00:27:23.799 --> 00:27:25.259 We can be even-keeled. 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:29.119 We're never so opposed 00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:30.000 to a leader 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:31.519 that we demonize them. 00:27:32.140 --> 00:27:32.980 Even a leader 00:27:32.980 --> 00:27:33.640 that represents 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:34.440 the other party. 00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:35.879 We're never so opposed 00:27:35.879 --> 00:27:36.720 that we demonize them 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:37.779 because we know demons. 00:27:38.859 --> 00:27:40.379 We know that demons are real. 00:27:40.579 --> 00:27:41.420 This is just a person. 00:27:43.059 --> 00:27:44.859 But we are never so enthralled 00:27:44.859 --> 00:27:46.339 to a political leader, 00:27:46.420 --> 00:27:47.500 even one in our own party, 00:27:47.859 --> 00:27:49.500 that we demonize them 00:27:49.500 --> 00:27:52.240 because we know the true God. 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:54.000 And this is just a person. 00:27:55.620 --> 00:27:56.700 We know that leaders 00:27:56.700 --> 00:27:58.640 can sometimes be like Cyrus, 00:27:59.359 --> 00:28:00.759 who was used by God 00:28:00.759 --> 00:28:01.720 to bless his people. 00:28:02.220 --> 00:28:03.039 And that leaders 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:04.799 can sometimes be like Caesar, 00:28:05.400 --> 00:28:06.620 who in this case 00:28:06.620 --> 00:28:08.079 was used by Satan 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:10.000 to persecute God's people. 00:28:10.279 --> 00:28:12.019 We know that both are possible 00:28:12.019 --> 00:28:12.880 with the same person. 00:28:13.720 --> 00:28:14.819 But we also know 00:28:14.819 --> 00:28:15.880 that God's purposes 00:28:15.880 --> 00:28:17.579 will always ultimately prevail. 00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:20.099 And so we are not easily 00:28:20.099 --> 00:28:21.460 manipulated or swayed. 00:28:21.460 --> 00:28:23.279 We remain fair-minded 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:24.100 and even keel. 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:27.019 So bringing all of this together, 00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:28.279 Christian faithfulness, 00:28:29.160 --> 00:28:30.079 I think when it comes 00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:31.279 to politics and religion 00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:32.500 in our society, 00:28:32.660 --> 00:28:34.740 it means holding the truth, 00:28:35.700 --> 00:28:37.079 holding the true story 00:28:37.079 --> 00:28:39.500 of Christ out over 00:28:39.500 --> 00:28:41.039 the false stories of the world 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:42.700 so that we can be faithful 00:28:42.700 --> 00:28:44.440 Christian political witnesses, 00:28:44.860 --> 00:28:45.539 fully present, 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:46.900 fully engaged. 00:28:47.840 --> 00:28:48.620 And by the way, 00:28:48.660 --> 00:28:50.120 this is why we gather here 00:28:50.119 --> 00:28:51.399 for worship every Sunday. 00:28:51.799 --> 00:28:53.059 This is why we have 00:28:53.059 --> 00:28:55.279 the liturgy that rehearses 00:28:55.279 --> 00:28:57.579 again and again and again 00:28:57.579 --> 00:28:59.000 the true story of Christ. 00:28:59.139 --> 00:28:59.839 It's why we have 00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:00.919 the preaching of the Word. 00:29:01.219 --> 00:29:02.239 It's why we celebrate 00:29:02.239 --> 00:29:03.399 the sacraments together. 00:29:03.779 --> 00:29:04.739 All of this is meant 00:29:04.739 --> 00:29:06.599 to form and reorient 00:29:06.599 --> 00:29:08.500 and shape our hearts 00:29:08.500 --> 00:29:09.699 and our minds 00:29:09.699 --> 00:29:11.000 toward the truth of Christ. 00:29:12.299 --> 00:29:13.899 You're here for formation. 00:29:14.259 --> 00:29:15.219 That's why we're here, 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:16.940 to reorient our hearts 00:29:16.940 --> 00:29:17.500 toward God. 00:29:17.579 --> 00:29:18.059 Because listen, 00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:20.160 Fox News, CNN, 00:29:20.940 --> 00:29:22.319 Facebook, Twitter, 00:29:22.579 --> 00:29:23.799 these are not simply 00:29:23.799 --> 00:29:24.839 media platforms. 00:29:25.079 --> 00:29:26.880 These are liturgical 00:29:26.880 --> 00:29:28.100 formation centers. 00:29:29.579 --> 00:29:31.579 They are forming us 00:29:31.579 --> 00:29:33.660 into their image. 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:35.160 And unless there is 00:29:35.160 --> 00:29:36.640 some counterweight 00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:37.360 in your life, 00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:37.980 unless there is 00:29:37.980 --> 00:29:40.740 some counterformational 00:29:40.740 --> 00:29:44.859 practice that is 00:29:44.859 --> 00:29:45.839 reorienting you 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:46.700 back toward Christ, 00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:48.620 you will be formed 00:29:48.620 --> 00:29:49.380 into the image 00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:51.160 of those things. 00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:54.720 And so we gather together, 00:29:55.279 --> 00:29:57.160 even as we live 00:29:57.160 --> 00:29:58.400 in this earthly kingdom, 00:29:58.900 --> 00:30:00.799 we regularly gather together 00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:01.839 to join with all 00:30:01.839 --> 00:30:02.359 of the saints 00:30:02.359 --> 00:30:03.900 across all empires, 00:30:04.019 --> 00:30:05.140 across all history, 00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:07.279 and we pray ultimately 00:30:07.279 --> 00:30:08.359 that God's kingdom 00:30:08.359 --> 00:30:08.939 would come 00:30:08.939 --> 00:30:10.419 and that God's will 00:30:10.419 --> 00:30:11.139 would be done 00:30:11.139 --> 00:30:12.119 on earth 00:30:12.119 --> 00:30:13.719 as it is in heaven. 00:30:14.299 --> 00:30:14.959 Let's pray.