Praise from All Nations in All Languages

“Behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” Rev. 7:9-10.

The New Testament consistently points to the outcome described in that apocalyptic vision. See, e.g., Matt. 28:19-20 (Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations); Acts 2:1–13 (linguistic diversity on Pentecost), 10:34-38 (Gentiles’ acceptance shows Christian community transcends ethnic backgrounds); Ro. 15:8-12 (Gentile inclusion fulfills patriarchal promises and brings forth unified praise from diverse peoples). Some may recall a recent sermon addressing this idea and grounded in Gal. 3:28, video of which is here and audio here.

Anticipating the future heavenly gathering, God calls churches to embody this unity through inclusive worship, mutual service, and cross-cultural mission. This coming Sunday, July 13, and probably August 10, provide opportunities to do just that as both our English- and Spanish-speaking “campuses” gather for a joint, bi-lingual  worship assembly. Preaching in the first of these will occur in English and in the second in Spanish (by Sergio Salazar, an applicant to become our Spanish-language minister). Computer-generated subtitles will provide simultaneous translation of each sermon. I urge you to participate enthusiastically in both joint gatherings.

Doing this is challenging for many of us. I know from attending last Sunday a worship in a tongue unintelligible to me: Swedish - a language that evolved from Old Norse, not Latin. Yet I was able to decipher shared elements of our faith, including Jesus’ model prayer and a fourth-century statement of core Christian doctrines. This experience and others in my recent travels reminded me of the broad geographic sweep, cultural diversity, and long temporal arc of the church’s mission as commanded by the Lord himself. Our unity is rooted in the Triune God, Christ's atoning work, and the Holy Spirit's unifying power. One day these will overcome our differences.

Meantime, we can derive strength and comfort from the transcendent power of music. On my recent trip to Scandinavia I attended four concerts in three churches. One began with a song composed by an Estonian with these words (from the tomb of an English scholar, the Venerable Bede, who lived from approximately 673 to 735 CE):

Christ is the morning star

who when the night

of this world is past

brings to his saints

the promise of

the light of life

and opens everlasting day.

Have a three-minute listen here.