“A Dream of Heaven” - May 2024 - Lesson 1

--Thanks to Michael Koslowski for his reading of the Learning Together story "A Dream of Heaven."
-- Sunday School this month will be after church service at 11 am - 12 pm on May 19, 2024, a week earlier than usual due to Memorial Day weekend. All are invited!
--Learning Together lessons and Sunday School gatherings will take a summer break during the months of June, July, and August. 

​     Hello once more and thanks for joining me for May’s online Learning Together lesson one. May is the last month until September for Learning Together lessons and Sunday School gatherings
     There will be only two lessons in May rather than three, and Sunday School will meet on May 19, 2024, a week earlier than usual to avoid the big Memorial Day weekend.
     Our May story is entitled “A Dream of Heaven” and is found on pages 342-351 of The Jesus Storybook Bible written by Sally Lloyd-Jones. You and your family are invited to listen and read and create and pray around this selection.
     Children: As usual, I now ask you, and any family member you invite, to settle in comfortably and listen to “A Dream of Heaven” being read aloud to you. You could close your eyes and imagine the scenes being described.
     There are 66 books in the Bible. The book of Revelation is the last one and is a special message recorded by the disciple John, one of Jesus’ closest helpers (disciples).
     The definition of the word ‘revelation’ is the telling of a surprisingly and previously unknown fact. For example, it would be a revelation if I told you I am really a frog! Which, of course, I am not, but wouldn’t that be an unexpected big surprise?
     Jesus told His revelation by giving John a vision, a dream while he was awake, and told John what to write. First, John wanted his audience to know that this wasn’t his letter. Its real author was Jesus. John was more like a scribe, writing down what he saw and what Jesus told him to share with others. Jesus wanted everyone to realize what God wants us, His people, to know about what happens next, now that Jesus is back in heaven. Three of these revelations follow:
     1. The first revelation is that God sees us. He sees how we worship, the things we care about, and how we take care of one another. He wants us to live in a way that honors Him and follows His instructions. Jesus promises some awesome things to those who believe in Him - Our names forever in the book of life, our names confessed before God and angels, and to sit on Jesus’s throne with Him, among other things.
     2. Secondly, Jesus revealed that we all get to choose whose side we’re on, the sinful world’s or Jesus’ message! There is but one side we want to be on at the end of the world … Jesus’ side. It’s like going into the Super Bowl and getting to choose which team you’re on, except you already know who’s going to win. When we follow Jesus, we are choosing the winning side.
     3. Lastly, Jesus is returning, and we want to be ready. There’s a natural curiosity in all of us—kids and adults alike—to know if this world’s going to end and how it’s going to end. A lot of us would also like to know when it’s going to end. For many centuries, people have looked to the book of Revelation to find these answers, but this book does not give a clear, step-by-step version of the end of the world. It doesn’t tell us when or how it’s all going to go down. But, like all of God’s Word, it tells us what we need to know
     Jesus is coming back! That’s the great big good news of Revelation. He’s coming back, and He will set all things straight. No more crying or fear, no more injustice or conflict, no more sickness or death. Heaven will be beautiful!
     This greatest of all invitations to heaven comes from Jesus, who says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
     Adults: The biblical references for this story are Revelations 1, 5, 21, and 22.
     The Revelation of John is the one book in the New Testament that claims John as its author. By the time the writings that are now included in the New Testament were assembled in their present form, three letters and one gospel were also attributed to John.
     At the beginning of Revelation, John tells us that while he was on the Isle of Patmos, where he was banished because of his religious faith, he heard a loud voice telling him to write what he saw and then to send the writing to the seven churches in Asia. The purpose of the book was to strengthen the faith of the members of these churches by giving to them the assurance that deliverance from the evil powers arrayed against them was close at hand.
     The Book of Revelation often has been regarded as a mysterious book, quite beyond the comprehension of the average lay reader. Its many references to angelic beings, its elaborate description of Christ as he appears in the heavenly courts, its use of such mystic numbers as three, seven, twelve, and their multiples, the accounts of strange beasts, symbolic names, and definite time periods — all suggest some hidden and esoteric meaning that supposedly can be detected only by an expert.
     For these reasons, many people have ignored the book, feeling that any attempt to understand it is futile. Other people have taken an opposite attitude and have found in this book what they believe to be predictions of whole series of events, many of which have already occurred and the remainder of which are about to take place in the near future. The basis for these views, many of which sound strange and fantastic, is found in the elaborate symbolism used in the book. The use of symbols has an important place in religious literature, for there is no other way in which a person can talk or even think about that which is beyond the realm of finite human experience.
     The unique feature about Revelation is the particular occasion that caused it to be written. Toward the end of the first century of the Christian era, the attitude of the Roman government toward Christianity became especially hostile. Nero, the Roman emperor, charged that Christians were to blame for the burning of Rome. Although the charge was false, it was sufficient to cause many people to regard the new Christian movement with suspicion. Jews and Romans alike resented the fact that Christians condemned so many of the things they were doing, and they especially disliked the belief on the part of Christians that their religion was superior to the older faiths that had been honored for centuries. The Christians often held their meetings in secret places, and their critics imagined that they were doing all sorts of evil things. It was easy to circulate rumors of this kind, and along with other things, Christians were charged with plotting against the Roman government. As the opposition to Christianity became more intense, the followers of the new movement were asked to prove their loyalty to the Roman government by denouncing Christ and by worshipping the statue of the emperor. When they refused to do this, they were tortured and even put to death.
     Under these conditions, the Revelation of John was written. It would be difficult to imagine anything more appropriate for the members of Christian churches at that time. They needed encouragement and the assurance that their trials would soon be over, that the evil powers of the earth would be destroyed, and that the triumph of righteousness would be established in the world. The message of Revelation was intended for this particular time and set of circumstances. Christians familiar with the older apocalyptic writings would understand the book's symbolism, for practically everything John said to his contemporaries was said before to people who suffered under similar circumstances. It is a mistake to suppose that John was predicting events that would take place in the later centuries of Christian history. Writing to the people of his own day about events that would happen while they were still living, he states that Christ will return while those who put him to death on the cross are still living. The permanent significance of Revelation lies in the author's conviction that right will ultimately triumph over evil.
~This Week’s Prayer: Dear Jesus, I believe in you and your love, and I want to be with you in heaven! Amen
     You are invited to join me in our second and final online May Learning Together lesson next week when we learn more about the life of Disciple John.
     Sunday School will be held after church services at 11 am - 12 pm on May 19, 2024, for a snack, story reading and discussion, and a fun craft. Hoping to see you!
Sincerely,
Margo Greer