Revelation 3:1-6 To the Church in Sardis

 

The video calling us to wake up from our sleepiness reminds me of Sardis. Sardis had an interesting history in Jesus’ lifetime. Sarah Porter writes, “Recent archaeological research has unearthed a healthy city that collaborated effectively with the Roman imperial regime during the time of the apostles. Sardis recovered well from a devastating earthquake in 17 AD through tax breaks and imperial investments, demonstrated by new monumental architecture like a massive bath-gymnasium complex, the largest known Roman arch, an imperial cult temple in the town center, and second-century AD renovations to the Temple of Artemis.”

By the time of Jesus, there’s a strong Jewish community in Sardis well connected in the city and with government leaders while still keeping their Jewish identity and culture. The historian Josephus talks about how Emperor Antiochus III forcibly resettled some Jews in Asia Minor during the third century BC. There’re a number of religions found in Sardis: a temple dedicated to Caesar, another temple to the goddess Artemis, a thriving synagogue, and at least one church. The worship of the mother goddess Cybele was also influential. These different faith groups worked alongside each other, even invested in each other when it was good for them, competed for influence, while keeping their religious independence and identity separate from each other. It reminds me of the interfaith group I was a part of in Montreal. It’s a group of faith leaders from all the major faiths in Montréal working together to address moral issues and social needs in the neighbourhoods and cultural communities in the city.

Life’s good in Sardis. It’s a wealthy city filled with people who work hard and enjoy many of the luxuries in life. They’ve come through the earthquake and rebuilt better than before. They’ve a lot to be proud of. Yet the wealth, the influence of pagan temples, especially that of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, the moon and fertility, and the luxurious lifestyles adopted by many in Sardis, lead many of the wealthy and powerful people in the city becoming soft, apathetic, and immoral. Barclay writes, “that even on pagan lips, Sardis was a name of contempt. Its people were notoriously loose living, notoriously pleasure-and luxury loving. Sardis was a city of the decadence. In the old days it had been a frontier town on the borders of Phyrgia, but now it was a byword for slack and effeminate living.” This is the setting for Jesus’ letter.

Jesus writes to the church in Sardi. Jesus identifies himself as the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Earlier Jesus let us know that the seven stars are the angels who are assigned to seven churches that he’s writing to. The seven spirits Jesus mentions here are mentioned later in Revelation 4:5, “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.” Earlier on in Revelation, the seven churches were described as seven lampstands, so Jesus is telling the church that he holds the churches and angels in his hands, an image of strength and power, and of closeness and protection and belonging. But it also tells them that he knows who they really are. One of my favourite images in the Bible is that of God holding us in his hands and that our names are written on his hands. We find these images in Isaiah 49:16, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands,” and John 10:28–29, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” We see Jesus’ commitment to them.

Yet Jesus is also frustrated with the church here in Sardis. John is receiving this letter as part of the vision Jesus is giving him. I wonder how John heard this call to “Wake up!” Was there a loud clap of thunder to shake John up? The church in Sardis looked good on the outside, working with the other faiths and organizations in the city, gathering together for worship, likely taking care of their own members well; doing church stuff. But Jesus gets real with them, commanding them, “Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.” Jesus goes on and commands them to, “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.” There’s a dry rot happening inside the church that’s not seen from the outside, not until you dig into the church a little bit.

Calvin Seminary has many students who had come from Korea and Africa. They marvel at the resources and programs that the average church in Grand Rapids has, yet it was always amazing and sad to see their disappointment after they’d been in North America for a year. Many of them felt too many followers of Jesus in our churches were sleep walking through life and their relationship with Jesus. One young man studying to go back to Uganda asked me why we allow our church members to remain so shallow in a self-focused faith. At that time, I didn’t know what to say, and even now, it would be a difficult conversation.

The church in Sardis did good things, but there was no passion for Jesus; they didn’t feel the push of the Holy Spirit to follow through on the Great Commission and share the good news of Jesus, no deep love of their neighbour where they wanted them to know Jesus. They’d forgotten God’s words to Abraham that he was calling a people to follow him and be a blessing to the nations; a witness to who God is. Jesus has trusted the gospel news with us to spread throughout the nations, not keep it for ourselves. Christianity is a giving faith, offering the world the greatest gift ever: the gift of Jesus, the gift of new life and salvation, the gift of belonging to God.

Pastor James McCord writes about the church in Sardis, which I believe often applies to the North American church, “It has been corrupted by ease. It has simply fallen asleep. It’s a church that has always been tempted to play it safe. Don't take your religion too seriously. The form and the ritual go on through with it. It is aesthetic, beautiful, everyone likes candles, soft organ music. It gives you time to idle your mind, to rest your spirit. You can even mouth the prayers that are said in common without any fear of their rising any higher than the ceiling, and you can be sure they will stop there. You will take no side on any particular issue, least of all will you become enthusiastic.” It’s an easy faith, being content with what you’ve done, sitting back and letting others carry the gospel to others. Life’s easy and good, so why do uncomfortable things like talk about Jesus. Why talk about Jesus with others if it’s going to make you look foolish for what you believe?

Jesus calls the church to remember: to remember who God is, who he is, what he’s done for us on the cross and the forgiveness and grace he shows us, to remember our need for new life and how God, through Jesus, gives us exactly these things and more. Jesus calls us to wake up and experience a full life, a life rooted in him. We’re wealthy and we’ve been blessed with so much, yet stuff doesn’t make a good life. For a good life that’s full of meaning and purpose, a life that makes a difference in our community, and the lives of those around us, it comes from being awake to what Jesus is already doing here and then joining him in doing it. We’ve been entrusted with the responsibility and privilege of introducing Jesus to those in our lives, to invite them to join us in walking the path of Jesus together, to grow more like Jesus, to build the kingdom of heaven here on earth; a kingdom shaped by repentance and Jesus’ love and grace.

Thankfully, Jesus lets us know that there are those who haven’t soiled their clothes, who are walking closely with Jesus and engaged in his mission to bring the gospel to the world, beginning in our neighbourhoods. For those who are looking to walk deeper with Jesus in order to share the gospel and your faith well with others, I will be leading another small group discipleship group beginning this fall, info’s in the bulletin. You can also be trained to share your faith through the 222 Discipleship program; both Henry Eisses or myself are able to train you in leading others to know Jesus and our faith deeper.

This letter must have impacted the church in Sardis. Bishop Melito of Sardis, who comes about 50 years after the Apostle John, is known for his piety and learning. Tertullian refers to Melito as an esteemed prophet who also wrote an Apology for Christianity to Marcus Aurelius. The church in Sardis woke up and became a strong defender of the faith and proclaimed Jesus as Lord to the world and its leaders. How about us?