The wake up call

John Povey September 04, 2023 2 1

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Revelation 3: 1-6 (NRSVA)

1 ‘And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:

‘I know your works; you have a name for being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is at the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. 3 Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4 Yet you have still a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels. 6 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

There could hardly be a more condemning judgement for a church than to be described as dead. Yet that is the description given to the church at Sardis.

Despite this dreadful diagnosis, however, their situation was not devoid of hope. There were still some worthy people within that church. Others were not beyond redemption but able to emerge victorious. The call was clear. Wake up!

At the burning bush, Moses woke up to the call of God. When the risen Jesus came to the disciples, they woke up to the call of God.

The Church at Sardis is a warning to us — a wake up call to be alert to the guidance of God, who may be seeking to lead us in new directions in our mission.

80 generations on, and the call is as loud and clear as it ever was, if we have ears to hear. Wake up and stretch your muscles, ready to serve God afresh each new day!

Remain constant in prayer and devotion, allowing God’s Spirit to speak more loudly than any other voice; for God’s Spirit alone can renew, and lead you into ever deeper and more challenging service in the Lord’s work.

“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5: 14)

PRAYER:

Lord,

How challenging it is to hear your judgement on the church in Sardis: to have a reputation for being alive, yet to be dead.

Forgive us for trusting too much in our ‘google ranking’ or social media presence to the detriment of our spiritual life.

As you tell us to ‘wake up!’, we ask you to help us. Bring us back to what we have ‘received and heard’, back to the gospel itself, and make us alive with faith, hope and love.

You are the one who gives your Spirit to your church, and we are dependent on you for all things. Let us hear the call of your Spirit and act accordingly. Amen.