Daily Readings - Sat Nov 21 2020
Revelation
4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.5And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed.6They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.7And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.9For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb,10and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.11But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here!" And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
Luke
27There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,28and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.29Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children.30And the second31and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.32Afterward the woman also died.33In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."34And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,35but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,36for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.37But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.38Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him."39Then some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well."40For they no longer dared to ask him any question.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the profound themes of death, resurrection, and eternal life. In Revelation, we encounter the symbolic tale of two witnesses who, despite facing martyrdom, are ultimately resurrected, symbolizing God's triumph. This apocalyptic vision uses imagery like olive trees and lampstands to represent God's people and their prophetic role. Their resurrection serves as a powerful reminder of God's ultimate victory over death and evil.
In the Gospel, Jesus engages with the Sadducees, who question the concept of resurrection through a complex scenario involving a woman and her seven husbands. Jesus responds by explaining that life after death transcends earthly marriage, emphasizing that the resurrected will live like angels, free from death's grasp. He reinforces this by noting that God is the God of the living, not the dead, highlighting the continuity of life beyond the grave.
These readings connect through their exploration of resurrection and eternal life. Revelation illustrates the ultimate triumph of God's people through resurrection, while Luke's Gospel clarifies the nature of post-resurrection life. Together, they assure us of life beyond death, urging us to trust in God's plan. This assurance should inspire our daily faith, reminding us to live with hope and confidence in God's promise of eternal life. Let us embrace this hope, trusting in God's ultimate victory and the transformation that awaits us.