What if I simply came to the ambo for the homily and said “Oh, say can you see” and then paused. I feel pretty sure that what would come to your mind is the Battle of Ft. McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812 – the event that served as the source and inspiration for the poem by Francis Scott Key that eventually became our national anthem. As my silent pause continued, you might begin to speculate that I intend to preach on some aspect of Freedom. Such is the power of a shared collection of stories that shape our national identity. It only takes a few words to bring to mind the entire story and your encounter with it. Perhaps the battle itself. Perhaps the memory of the beginning of the last baseball game you attended with your parents when you looked over and your father, a veteran, as he loudly, proudly and off-key sang the anthem. Perhaps an Olympic moment.
Our first reading today is from Revelation, the final book of the Bible and for me – and hopefully for you also – it brings to the fore a whole catalog of stories from the Old and New Testament that are echoed in this reading. For example: “I, John, saw in heaven another sign, great and awe-inspiring: seven angels with the seven last plagues, for through them God’s fury is accomplished.” (Rev 15:1)
Chapter 15 serves to introduce seven angels who in the next chapter will pour out the seven bowls of divine wrath on those who rejected the redemption offered by the Lamb. Before the angels even receive the seven bowls, we hear those who have emerged victorious over the beast singing a song of praise to God for his great and righteous works (vv. 3–4). It is the song of redemption that began with Moses and found its completion in the sacrificial death of the Lamb.
The song celebrates the Lord’s righteous and redemptive activity from the first rebellion in the Garden, to the enslavement in Egypt, the return from Exile and culminating with the Lamb. The song of deliverance of which Moses and the people sang in Exod 15:1–18 prefigures the greater deliverance brought by Jesus the Lamb of God. But it is important to realize the song in Revelation is the same song raised up in Exodus.
There are many parallels between Exodus 15 and Revelation 15. For example, “Great and marvelous are your deeds … . Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name?” (Rev 15:4) echoes “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” (Exod 15:11). This song commemorating Israel’s greatest deliverance was sung on Sabbath evenings in the synagogue service. Its imagery was stamped on the consciousness of every pious Jew. The theme of victory in Exodus 15 becomes the basis for praise and adoration in the song of the victors. God is worthy of glory and honor because his great and marvelous works are true and righteous. The song does not celebrate the judgment of God upon his enemies but the righteousness of his great redemptive acts. As Moses triumphed over Pharaoh, and as the risen Lord was victorious over the world (John 16:33), so also the faithful have maintained their fidelity against all demands of the imperial cult of Nero, the one who would have them worship him as divine. (cf. Robert Mounce, The Book of Revelation | Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing)
This is the richness of our faith captured in the family stories, Sacred Scripture. We are people who are called to ever remember “Great and marvelous are your deeds” and indeed, “Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”
Image credit: The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs | Fra Angelico | National Gallery Washington DC | PD via Wikimedia Commons