Reading this warm and positive...
Illustration
Reading this warm and positive greeting is an uplifting experience of joy and affirmation of faith in God's action then, now, and in the future. But, wait a second. What did it say in that little line that begins verse 4? "John to the seven churches that are in Asia?"
Seven. Seven wet-behind-the-ear congregations in an area of small villages, centers of learning and commerce, and (for the time) teeming metropolitan areas. Most congregations today, even in rural areas, have within the shadow of their bell towers several other churches. Within a radius of a few miles, most rural folk have several worship centers of various denominations. But for this area containing thousands of people, seven.
The odds in the film The Magnificent Seven were clearly tilted toward the side of the malefactors and evil-doers, as seven unlikely comrades ride out, while the soundtrack echoes a strident theme. But, in spite of adversity and struggle to come, the viewer knows the ultimate outcome. Seven with "strength unequal to the task," as in the hymn (unequal, meaning more than enough).
Seven. Seven wet-behind-the-ear congregations in an area of small villages, centers of learning and commerce, and (for the time) teeming metropolitan areas. Most congregations today, even in rural areas, have within the shadow of their bell towers several other churches. Within a radius of a few miles, most rural folk have several worship centers of various denominations. But for this area containing thousands of people, seven.
The odds in the film The Magnificent Seven were clearly tilted toward the side of the malefactors and evil-doers, as seven unlikely comrades ride out, while the soundtrack echoes a strident theme. But, in spite of adversity and struggle to come, the viewer knows the ultimate outcome. Seven with "strength unequal to the task," as in the hymn (unequal, meaning more than enough).
