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1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

 

These scriptures are directed to a church with a complete lack of focus. The congregation in Sardis is described as dead and as virtually asleep. The writer commands this group to “wake up” and to “strengthen what remains” and to remember what was once seen and heard.

While the context and time of these scriptures is very specific, we can glean some ideas for ourselves here. It is very easy to get hypnotized metaphorically and to take our eyes off of the north star of Christ. This lack of focus can lead to lack of direction and destiny. I think these scriptures ask us to turn our focus toward Christ and away from what causes us to grow stagnant. We are also directed to remember what we have seen and heard by the Spirit.

Spending time in a strong faith community can reposition our gazes and provide the navigation we need.

I pray for all of us to listen to one another and to strengthen one another as we build our church community.

Allison Montgomery Yes5olias1@yahoo.com

 

Alternative scriptures: Psalm 17 and 2 Samuel 11: 2-26