Images and symbolism are ways to pass notes under the nose of the authorities without getting caught

Revelation 1:4-8 NRSV

John 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, and 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, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! 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. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

---

Rural Retreat Lutheran Parish | Virginia Synod | ELCA | www.rrlp.org

Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.

Image created for Rural Retreat Lutheran Parish by gakirk using Canva. Copyright 2022 www.rrlp.org. All rights reserved.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Luther Seminary. (2020). Working Preacher. Retrieved January 15, 2022, from https://www.workingpreacher.org/