Revelation 1:4b-8 (NRSV)
Read Revelation 1:4b-8 on biblegateway.com
Verse 4John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, Verse 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, Verse 6and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Verse 7Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. Verse 8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Devotion
With all due respect to places like Memphis, Texas and the Carolinas, as a resident of Kansas City, I must declare that our barbeque is the best in the country. However, within the Kansas City area, there are battles as to which BBQ joint reigns supreme. For me, that all depends on whether you’re looking for ribs, burnt ends, or baked beans. Every once in a while, you’ll hear someone declare their allegiance to their favorite establishment with this bit of hyperbole: “Their pork ribs are to die for!”
In this passage from Revelation, Jesus is called the faithful “witness” or martyr. Jesus’ witness to the love of God reaches its pinnacle in his death on the cross. This is no mere bit of hyperbole; it is an honest and true expression of God’s love for us. We are “to die for.”
Prayer
Almighty God, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. We thank you for your faithfulness to us. May our lives bear witness to your love for us and for the whole creation. Amen.