Lent 1 2026
A lot is happening in the world that is not sitting right with folks. For Lent I have chosen not to sermonize with the lectionary. Rather I am seeking the hope that John offers in his letter to the church called Revelation. Yes, the apocalypse. The first Sunday scriptures are: Revelation 1:4-8; John 8:13-20
Here’s the devotion drawn from my sermon:
Welcome to the apocalypse. Not the disaster-movie version. The word apocalypse simply means revelation—an unveiling. And in Book of Revelation, what is unveiled is not chaos winning, but Christ reigning.
For many, Revelation feels strange and frightening—beasts, battles, judgment. Yet Christians, of all people, are meant to read it with hope. We know how the story ends: “a new heaven and a new earth.” Before the visions swirl and the symbols stretch our imagination, John begins with a promise:
“Grace to you and peace… from him who is and who was and who is to come.”
John writes in a world that felt like it was falling apart. The Roman Empire dominated daily life. Friends had been martyred. The Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed. Churches lived under threat. John himself was exiled and aging. It was, in many ways, the worst of times.
And there, “in the Spirit,” on the Lord’s Day, he sees–not a timetable. Not a coded political forecast. He sees Christ.
“The Alpha and the Omega…
the Almighty.”
The beginning and the end.
The One who holds history, not the one crushed by it.
Revelation does not deny suffering. It places suffering inside a larger story. The powers of this world rise and fall. Every generation fears it may be the last. But Christ is the same—was, is, and is to come.
This is the good news: We come from God and we return to God. Nothing of God will be lost. Nothing opposed to God will last.
The apocalypse is not ultimately about destruction. It is about unveiling reality—Christ present among his people, even now. Grace and peace are not future rewards. They are gifts for today. So whatever feels like “the end” in your life, remember:
the Alpha still holds you.
And the Omega is already preparing something new.
bevfriedlander 