This was given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on November 23, 2003.

The Scripture is from The Book of Revelations 1: 4b – 8…

I think that I have mentioned, at some point in time, how my close friend, Larry, had talked me into pledging one of the fraternities at SIUE when we both started going there in the fall of 1971. Now, you have to understand that I had absolutely no interest in any kind of social function or organization, but Larry had assured me that APO was a service fraternity. That meant that their main function was to help out with various projects on campus, in the community, and throughout the surrounding area. For that reason, I was interested in joining and pledged to become a member. Along with attending training sessions to study the history and by-laws of the organization, we were also asked and expected to help with various functions already scheduled.

          For one thing, I got to stand outside in the rainy-snow one morning on campus spreading the word about an upcoming blood-drive sponsored by the Red Cross. (Our slogan was ‘APO is out for blood!’) Then, during the drive I got to assist the nurses in marking and handling these plastics pouches full of something warm and squishy, as well as help donors up and to a seat where they could eat a cookie and drink some orange juice before heading back to class.

          Another time, I was asked to help patrol the fences around the soccer field during one of the games and watch for people trying to sneak in. Now you must remember that by this time I already had my first white cowboy hat, and the heavy denim-and-fleece chore coat I wore completed the ‘look’ that I was after. So, dressed like somebody off of the set of ‘McCloud’, I showed up and was assigned my position. And to let others know of my authority to challenge them, I was given an armband to wear … that said ‘Marshal’!

          Now, the only reason that I bring any of this up is because until I went through the course for becoming a member of APO, I never really knew any of the Greek alphabet. You see, APO stands for ‘Alpha – Phi – Omega’. Alpha is the very first letter in the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the very last. Until I learned all of this, I can’t say that some of what I read this morning ever made much sense, other than an assumption that it meant the beginning and the end of something.

          Now, it is not my intention to get into an in-depth study, this morning, of the Book of Revelation… though it has been suggested to do as a Bible study sometime, which we may well do. For now, though, let me just read this from the Life Application Commentary…

“Grace and peace were standard greetings in the ancient world. “Grace” was the Greek greeting and “peace” was the Hebrew greeting. The early church took these two greetings and used them together as a way of declaring that God had given these realities to his people.

All of time is encompassed in the Father — he is, was, and will be. God is eternally present and therefore able to help his people in any age, in any situation. Note that the present tense is first, stressing that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the future is still in control of the present. The pressures and stresses that the early Christians faced made the truth of God’s control over all history that much more meaningful.

The “sevenfold Spirit”, as some translations term it, has been identified by some to mean the seven angelic beings or messengers for the churches. Others have interpreted this to refer to those angels that accompany Christ at his return. But the reference to the Trinity here gives more weight to the interpretation that the sevenfold Spirit is the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is also portrayed as the commander of all the rulers of the world — an all-powerful King, victorious in battle, glorious in peace. Ps 89:27 says, “I will make him my firstborn son, the mightiest king on earth”. Jesus was not just a humble earthly teacher; he is the glorious God. When he returns, he will be recognized for who he really is. Then, “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”

          Now, this is a very edited version of what just one commentary says about just these four verses of Revelation… many of my other commentaries had more than one page devoted to these same four verses. As I said, the Book of Revelation is quite involved, and we will study it another time. For this morning, though, I want to zero in on the last verse I read this morning, verse 8.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Again quoting from the Life Application Commentary…

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The Lord God is the beginning and the end. God the Father is the eternal Lord and Ruler of the past, present, and future. God is sovereign over history and is in control of everything.

The one who is, and who was, and who is to come is also described in verse 4, the Lord God, who controls present, past, and future.

The phrase “the Almighty” comes out of the Old Testament and conveys military imagery, referring to God as a mighty warrior. The military imagery helped the people in the churches to whom this book was written understand that they had the ultimate Warrior fighting on their side. God rules over all.

This Thursday, we in this country celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday. This is not any kind of formal religious occasion… it doesn’t show up on any calendar of the Christian Year. But it is intended to be a time of celebrating all that we have been blessed with over the past year and thanking God for those blessings! After all, as I’ve said many, many times… all that we are and all that we have is due to God!

Consider this verse with me for a moment! The Lord says, “I am the Alpha… the very beginning of everything… and the Omega… the very end of everything…” “Who is…  who was… and who is to come… the Almighty.”

Everything that exists today began with God. Everything that has ever been began with God. Everything that ever will be will begin with God. And every one of those same things either have or will end with God, as well!

Are we so confident in our own abilities that we neglect to give God credit for those abilities? Are we so proud of our accomplishments that we neglect to thank God for His involvement in them? And if any of us answer ‘yes’ to either of those questions, then I have to pose a third… Are we so certain of our Christianity that we forget to include Christ in it?

I say again… everything that we are… everything that we have… every thing on this earth and in this universe… is from God! When you sit down around your tables this week with friends and family, please remember to take a moment to bow your heads in silence… use that time to reflect upon the ultimate source of all of the bounty surrounding you… and then give thanks to Him who is truly responsible for everything and everyone at that table!

Let us pray…

GOD, all things come from you. There is nothing that happens in our lives without your knowing. We have so much, God. We take it all for granted. The sun comes up in the morning. The ocean rolls in to the shore. The stars shine. The leaves change color. Thank you, God, for these gifts. Thank you for the people who love us in spite of ourselves. Thank you for your son who was nailed to the cross. Thank you for the independence and perseverance of our forefathers who saw beyond their own existences and created this nation.   Amen.